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ABIDE  IN  CHKIST 


THOUGHTS 

ON  THE  BLESSED  LIFE  OF  FELLOWSHIP 
WITH  THE  SON  OF  GOD. 


By  EEV.  ANDEEW  MUEEAY, 

AUTHOR  OF 

‘ LIKE  CHRIST,’  ‘ THE  SPIRIT  OF  CHRIST,*  ‘ HOLY  IN  CHRIST,  ETC, 


’Abide  in  me^  and  I in  you* 


Stitg=eigl)tj)  ®f)ousanlr. 


FLEMING  H.  EEVELL  COMPANY, 
CHICAGO,  NEW  YORK,  TORONTO, 
^ubltsljera  of  (Biianjjelttsl  yilsroture. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  the  Parliament  of  Canada, 
in  the  year  1895,  by  The  Fleming  H.  Revell  Co.,  at  the 
Department  ^ Agriculture. 


PREFACE. 


DUEING  the  life  of  Jesus  on  earth,  the  word  He 
j chiefly  used  when  speaking  of  the  relations 

1 of  the  disciples  to  Himself  was  : ‘ Follow  me*  When 
about  to  leave  for  heaven,  He  gave  them  a new  word, 
in  which  their  more  intimate  and  spiritual  union 
with  Himself  in  glory  should  be  expressed.  That 
I chosen  word  was : ‘ Abide  in  me* 

I It  is  to  be  feared  that  there  are  many  earnest 
followers  of  Jesus  from  whom  the  meaning  of  this 
word,  with  the  blessed  experience  it  promises,  is 
very  much  hidden.  While  trusting  in  their  Saviour 
for  pardon  and  for  help,  and  seeking  to  some  extent 
to  obey  Him,  they  have  hardly  realized  to  what 
closeness  of  union,  to  wha,t’ intimacy  of  fellowship, 
to  what  wondrous  oneness  of  life  and  interest.  He 
invited  them  when  He  said,  ‘ Abide  in  me.*  This 
j is  not  only  an  unspeakable  loss  to  themselves,  but 
j the  Church  and  the  world  suffer  in  what  they  lose. 

If  we  ask  the  reason  why  those  who  have  indeed 
. accepted  the  Saviour,  and  been  made  partakers  of  the 
renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  thus  come  short  of  the 
full  salvation  prepared  for  them,  I am  sure  the 
a»swer  will  i»  very  many  cases  be,  that  ignorance  i§ 


G 


PREFACE. 


tlie  cause  of  the  unbelief  that  fails  of  the  iuheritauce. 
If,  in  our  orthodox  Churclies,  tlie  abiding  in  Christ, 
tlie  living  union  with  Him,  the  experience  of  His 
daily  and  hourly  presence  and  keeping,  were  preached 
with  the  same  distinctness  and  urgency  as  His 
atonement  and  pardon  through  His  Idood,  I am 
confident  that  many  would  be  found  to  accept  with 
gladness  the  invitation  to  such  a life,  and  that  its 
influence  would  be  manifest  in  their  experience  of 
the  purity  and  the  power,  the  love  and  the  joy,  the 
fruit-bearing,  and  all  the  blessedness  which  the 
Saviour  connected  with  the  abiding  in  Him. 

It  is  with  the  desire  to  help  those  who  have  not 
yet  fully  understood  what  the  Saviour  meant  with 
His  command,  or  who  have  feared  that  it  was  a life 
beyond  their  reach,  that  these  meditations  are  now 
published.  It  is  only  by  frequent  repetition  that  a 
child  learns  its  lessons.  It  is  only  by  continuously 
fixing  the  mind  for  a time  on  some  one  of  the  lessons 
of  faith,  that  the  believer  is  gradually  helped  to  take 
and  thoroughly  assimilate  them.  I have  the  hope 
that  to  some,  especially  young  believers,  it  will  be  a 
help  to  come  and  for  a month  day  after  day  spell 
over  the  precious  words,  ' Abide  in  me,’  with  the 
lessons  connected  with  them  in  the  Parable  of  the 
Vine.  Step  by  step  we  shall  get  to  see  how  truly 
this  promise-precept  is  meant  for  us,  how  surely 
grace  is  provided  to  enable  us  to  obey  it,  how  indis- 
pensable the  experience  of  its  blessing  is  to  a healthy 
Christian  life,  and  how  unspeakable  the  blessings  are 
that  How  from  it.  As  we  listen,  and  meditate,  and 


PREFACE. 


7 


pray, — as  we  surrender  ourselves,  and  accept  in  faith 
the  whole  Jesus  as  He  offers  Himself  to  us  in  it, — 
the  Holy  Spirit  will  make  the  word  to  be  spirit  and 
life;  this  word  of  Jesus,  too,  will  become  to  us  the 
power  of  God  unto  salvation,  and  through  it  will 
come  the  faith  that  grasps  the  long-desired  blessing. 

I pray  earnestly  that  our  gracious  Lord  may  be 
pleased  to  bless  this  little  book,  to  help  those 
who  seek  to  know  Him  fully,  as  He  has  already 
blessed  it  in  its  original  issue  in  a different  (the 
Dutch)  language.  I pray  still  more  earnestly  that 
He  would,  by  whatever  means,  make  the  multitudes 
of  His  dear  children  who  are  still  living  divided 
lives,  to  see  how  He  claims  them  wholly  for  Him- 
self, and  how  the  whole-hearted  surrender  to  abide 
in  Him  alone  brings  the  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of 
glory.  Oh,  let  each  of  us  who  has  begun  to  taste 
the  sweetness  of  this  life,  yield  himself  wholly  to  be 
a witness  to  the  grace  and  power  of  our  Lord  to 
keep  us  united  with  Himself,  and  seek  by  word  and 
walk  to  win  others  to  follow  Him  fully.  It  is  only 
in  such  fruit-bearing  that  our  own  abiding  can  be 
maintained. 

In  conclusion,  I ask  to  be  perjnitted  to  give  one 
word  of  advice  to  my  reader.  It  is  this.  It  needs 
time  to  grow  into  J esus  the  Vine : do  not  expect  to 
abide  in  Him  unless  you  will  give  Him  that  time. 
It  is  not  enough  to  read  God’s  Word,  or  meditations 
as  here  offered,  and  when  we  think  we  have  hold  of 
the  thoughts,  and  have  asked  God  for  His  blessing, 
to  go  out  in  the  hope  that  the  blessing  will  abide. 


s 


PREFACE. 


Ko,  it  needs  day  by  day  time  with  Jesus  and  with 
God.  We  all  know  the  need  of  time  for  our  meals 
each  day, — every  workman  claims  his  hour  for 
dinner ; the  hurried  eating  of  so  much  food  is  not 
enough.  If  we  are  to  live  through  Jesus,  we  must 
feed  on  Him  (John  vi.  57);  we  must  thoroughly 
take  in  and  assimilate  that  lieavenly  food  the  Rather 
has  given  us  in  His  life.  Therefore,  my  brother, 
who  would  learn  to  abide  in  Jesus,  take  time  each 
day,  ere  you  read,  and  while  you  read,  and  after  you 
read,  to  put  yourself  into  living  contact  with  the 
living  Jesus,  to  yield  yourself  distinctly  and  con- 
sciously to  His  blessed  influence ; so  will  you  give 
Him  the  opportunity  of  taking  hold  of  you,  of 
drawing  you  up  and  keeping  you  safe  in  His 
almighty  life. 

And  now, to  all  God’s  children  whom  He  allows  me 
the  privilege  of  pointing  to  the  Heavenly  Vine,  I offer 
my  fraternal  love  and  salutations,  with  the  prayer 
that  to  each  one  of  them  may  be  given  the  rich  and 
full  experience  of  the  blessedness  of  abiding  in 
Christ.  And  may  the  grace  of  Jesus,  and  the  love 
of  God,  and  the  fellowship  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  be 
their  daily  portion.  Amen. 


A.  M. 


CONTENTS, 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST ; 

^AT  PAGE 

1.  All  ye  who  have  come  to  Him,  . . . , , 11 

2.  And  ye  shall  find  Rest  to  your  Souls,  . , • . 17 

3.  Trusting  Him  to  keep  you,  ......  24 

4.  As  the  Branch  in  the  Vine, ,30 

5.  As  you  came  to  Him,  by  Faith,  .....  36 

6.  God  Himself  has  united  you  to  Him,  ....  45 

7.  As  your  Wisdom, . 61 

8.  As  your  Righteousness,  .....  .68 

9.  As  your  Sanctification, 64 

10.  As  your  Redemption, 72 

11.  The  Crucified  One,  .......  78 

12.  God  Himself  will  stablish  you  in  Him,  ...  85 

13.  Every  Moment, 92 

14.  Day  by  Day, 99 

15.  At  this  Moment, 106 

16.  Forsaking  all  for  Him, . ' 113 

17.  Through  the  Holy  Spirit, 120 

18.  In  Stillness  of  Soul, 127 

19.  In  Affliction  and  Trial, 134 

20.  That  you  may  bear  much  Fruit,  . . . . .140 

21.  So  will  you  have  Power  in  Prayer,  . . . .147 

22.  And  in  His  Love,  . . . . ...  . 154 

23.  As  Christ  in  the  Father,  . . . . . .161 

24.  Obeying  His  Commandments,  . , . , .167 

25.  That  your  Joy  may  be  full,  . . . , , .173 

26.  And  in  Love  to  the  Brethren,  . , , , .180 

27.  That  you  may  not  sin,  . . . , . .187 

28.  As  your  Strength,  . . , , , , ,195 

29.  And  not  in  Self,  202 

30.  As  the  Surety  of  the  Covenant,  . , , , , 210 

31.  The  Glorified  One, 217 


10 


AEJDli  IN  CHRIST  : 


JOHN  XV.  1-12. 

1 I am  tlie  True  Vine,  and  my  Father  is  the  Ilushandman. 

2 Every  branch  in  me  that  beareth  not  fruit  He-taketh  away:  and 
every  branch  that  beareth  fruit,  He  purgeth  it,  that  it  may  bring 
fortli  more  fruit. 

3 Now  ye  are  clean  through  the  word  which  I have  spoken  unto 
you. 

4 Abide  in  me,  and  I in  you.  As  the  branch  cannot  bear  fruit  of 
itself,  except  it  abide  in  the  vine  ; no  more  can  ye,  except  ye  abide 
in  me. 

5 I am  the  Vine,  ye  are  the  branches  : he  that  abideth  in  me,  and 
I in  him,  the  same  bringeth  forth  much  fruit : for  without  me  ye  can 
do  nothing. 

6 If  a man  abide  not  in  me,  he  is  cast  forth  as  a branch,  and  is 
withered  ; and  men  gather  them,  and  cast  them  into  the  fire,  and  they 
are  burned. 

7 If  ye  abide  in  me,  and  my  words  abide  in  you,  ye  shall  ask  what 
ye  will,  and  it  shall  be  done  unto  you. 

8 Herein  is  my  Father  glorified,  that  ye  bear  much  fruit ; so  shall 
ye  be  my  disciples. 

9 As  the  Father  hath  loved  me,  so  have  I loved  yiu : continue  ye 
in  my  love. 

10  If  ye  keep  my  commandments,  ye  shall  abide  in  my  love  ; even 
as  I have  kept  my  Father’s  commandments  'and  abide  in  His  love. 

11  These  things  have  I spoken  unto  you,  that  my  joy  might  remain 
in  you,  and  that  your  joy  might  be  full. 

12  This  is  my  commandment,  That  ye  love  one  another,  as  I have 
loved  you. 


ALL  YE  WHO  HAVE  COME  TO  HIM. 


11 


First  Day. 

ABIDE  IN'  CHRIST, 

illl  ge  bjfjo  Ijaite  come  to 

‘Come  unto  me.’ — Matt.  xi.  28.  ‘Abide  in  me.’ — John  xv.  4. 

IT  is  to  ^ou  who  have  heard  and  hearkened  to  the 
call,  ' Gome  unto  me^  that  this  new  invitation 
comes,  ‘ Abide  in  me.’  The  message  comes  from 
the  same  loving  Saviour.  You  doubtless  have  never 
repented  having  come  at  His  call.  You  experienced 
that  His  word  was  truth ; all  His  promises  He  ful- 
filled ; He  made  you  partakers  of  the  blessings  and 
the  joy  of  His  love.  Was  not  His  welcome  most 
hearty.  His  pardon  full  and  free.  His  love  most 
sweet  and  precious  ? You  more  than  once,  at  your 
first  coming  to  Him,  had  reason  to  say, ' The  half  was 
not  told  me.’ 

And  yet  you  have  had  to  complain  of  disappoint- 
ment : as  time  went  on,  your  expectations  were  not 
realized.  The  blessings  you  once  enjoyed  were  lost ; 
the  love  and  joy  of  your  first  meeting  with  your 
Saviour,  instead  of  deepening,  have  become  faint  and 
feeble.  And  often  you  have  wondered  what  the 
reason  could  be,  that  with  such  a Saviour,  so  mighty 


2 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


and  so  loving,  your  experience  of  salvation  should 
not  have  been  a fuller  one. 

The  answer  is  very  simple.  You  wandered  from 
Him.  The  blessings  He  bestows  are  all  connected 
with  His  ' Come  to  me,’  and  are  only  to  be  enjoyed 
in  close  fellowship  with  Himself.  You  either  did 
not  fully  understand,  or  did  not  rightly  remember, 
that  the  call  meant,  ' Come  to  mo  to  stay  with  me! 
And  yet  this  was  in  very  deed  His  object  and  pur- 
pose when  first  He  called  you  to  Himself.  It  was 
not  to  refresh  you  for  a few  short  hours  after  youi 
conversion  with  the  joy  of  His  love  and  deliverance, 
and  then  to  send  you  forth  to  wander  in  sadness 
and  sin.  He  had  destined  you  to  sometliing  better 
than  a short-lived  blessedness,  to  be  enjoyed  only 
in  times  of  special  earnestness  and  prayer,  and  then 
to  pass  away,  as  you  had  to  return  to  those  duties  in 
which  far  the  greater  part  of  life  has  to  be  spent. 
No,  indeed  ; He  had  prepared  for  you  an  abiding 
dwelling  with  Himself,  where  your  whole  life  and 
every  moment  of  it  might  be  spent,  where  the  work 
of  your  daily  life  might  be  done,  and  where  all  the 
while  you  might  be  enjoying  unbroken  communion 
with  Himself.  It  was  even  this  He  meant  when  to 
that  first  word,  ‘ Come  to  me,’  He  added  this,  ‘ Abide 
in  me.’  As  earnest  and  faithful,  as  loving  and 
tender,  as  the  compassion  that  breathed  in  that  blessed 
‘ Come,'  was  the  grace  that  added  tliis  no  less  blessed 
‘ Abide!  As  mighty  as  the  attraction  with  which  that 
first  word  drew  you,  were  the  bonds  with  which  this 
second,  liad  jow  but  listened  to  it,  would  have  kept 


ALL  YE  WHO  HAVE  COME  TO  HIM. 


13 


you.  And  as  great  as  were  the  blessings  with  which 
that  coming  was  rewarded,  so  large,  yea,  and  much 
greater,  were  the  treasures  to  which  that  abiding 
would  have  given  you  access. 

And  observe  especially,  it  was  not  that  He  said 
‘ Come  to  me  and  abide  with  me,'  but,  ‘ Abide  in  me! 
The  intercourse  was  not  only  to  be  unbroken,  but 
most  intimate  and  complete.  He  opened  His  arms, 
to  press  you  to  His  bosom ; He  opened  His  heart, 
to  welcome  you  there  ; He  opened  up  all  His  Divine 
fulness  of  life  and  love,  and  offered  to  take  you  up 
into  its  fellowship,  to  make  you  wholly  one  with 
Himself.  There  was  a depth  of  meaning  you  cannot 
yet  realize  in  His  words  : ‘ Abide  in  me.' 

And  with  no  less  earnestness  than  He  had  cried, 

' Come  to  me,'  did  He  plead,  had  you  but  noticed  it, 
‘ Abide  in  me!  By  every  motive  that  had  induced 
you  to  come,  did  He  beseech  you  to  abide.  Was  it 
the  fear  of  sin  and  its  curse  that  first  drew  you  ? the 
pardon  you  received  on  first  coming  could,  with  all 
the  blessings  flowing  from  it,  only  be  confirmed  and 
fully  enjoyed  on  abiding  in  Him.  Was  it  the  long- 
ing to  know  and  enjoy  the  Infinite  Love  that  was 
calling  you  ? the  first  coming  gave  but  single  drops 
to  taste, — 'tis  only  the  abiding  that  can  really  satisfy 
the  thirsty  soul,  and  give  to  drink  of  the  rivers  of 
pleasure  that  are  at  His  right  hand.  Was  it  the 
weary  longing  to  be  made  free  from  the  bondage  of 
sin,  to  become  pure  and  holy,  and  so  to  find  rest, 
the  rest  of  God  for  the  soul  ? this  too  can  only  be 
realized  as  you  abide  in  Him, — only  abiding  in 


14 


ABIDE  IN  CHKIST  : 


Jesus  gives  rest  in  Him.  Or  if  it  was  the  hope  of 
an  inheritance  in  glory,  and  an  everlasting  home  in 
the  presence  of  the  Infinite  One : the  true  prepara- 
tion for  this,  as  well  as  its  blessed  foretaste  in  this 
life,  are  granted  only  to  those  who  abide  in  Him. 
In  very  truth,  there  is  nothing  that  moved  you  to 
come,  that  does  not  plead  with  thousandfold  greater 
force  : ‘ Abide  in  Him.’  You  did  well  to  come  ; you 
do  better  to  abide.  Who  would,  after  seeking  the 
King’s  palaee,  be  content  to  stand  in  the  door,  when 
he  is  invited  in  to  dwell  in  the  King’s  presence,  and 
share  with  Him  in  all  the  glory  of  His  royal  life  ? 
Oh,  let  us  enter  in  and  abide,  and  enjoy  to  the  full 
all  the  rich  supply  His  wondrous  love  hath  prepared 
for  us  ! 

And  yet  I fear  that  there  are  many  who  have 
indeed  come  to  Jesus,  aud  who  yet  have  mournfully 
to  confess  that  they  know  but  little  of  this  blessed 
abiding  in  Him.  With  some  the  reason  is,  that  they 
never  fully  understood  that  this  was  the  meaning  of 
the  Saviour’s  call.  With  others,  that  though  they 
heard  the  word,  they  did  not  know  that  such  a life 
of  abiding  fellowship  was  possible,  and  indeed  witbin 
their  reach.  Others  will  say  that,  though  they  did 
believe  that  such  a life  was  possible,  and  seek 
after  it,  they  have  never  yet  succeeded  in  discover- 
ing the  secret  of  its  attainment.  And  others,  again, 
alas  ! will  confess  that  it  is  their  own  unfaithfulness 
tliat  has  kept  them  from  the  enjoyment  of  the 
blessing.  When  the  Saviour  would  have  kept  them, 
they  were  not  found  ready  to  stay  ; they  were  not 


ALL  YE  WHO  HAVE  COME  TO  HIM. 


15 


prepared  to  give  up  everything,  and  always,  only, 
wholly  to  abide  in  Jesus. 

To  all  such  I come  now  in  the  name  of  Jesus, 
their  Eedeemer  and  mine,  with  the  blessed  message  : 
‘ Abide  in  me'  In  His  name  I invite  them  to  come, 
and  for  a season  meditate  with  me  daily  on  its 
meaning,  its  lessons,  its  claims,  and  its  promises. 
I know  how  many,  and,  to  the  young  believer,  how 
difficult,  the  questions  are  which  suggest  themselves 
in  connection  with  it.  There  is  especially  the 
question,  with  its  various  aspects,  as  to  the  possi- 
bility, in  the  midst  of  wearying  work  and  continual 
distraction,  of  keeping  up,  or  rather  being  kept  in, 
the  abiding  communion.  I do  not  undertake  to 
remove  all  difficulties ; this  Jesus  Christ  Himself 
alone  must  do  by  His  Holy  Spirit.  But  what  I 
would  fain  by  the  grace  of  God  be  permitted  to  do  is, 
to  repeat  day  by  day  the  Master’s  blessed  command, 
‘ Abide  in  me,’  until  it  enter  the  heart  and  find  a 
place  there,  no  more  to  be  forgotten  or  neglected. 
I would  fain  that  in  the  light  of  Holy  Scripture  we 
should  meditate  on  its  meaning,  until  the  under- 
standing, that  gate  to  the  heart,  opens  to  apprehend 
something  of  what  it  offers  and  expects.  So  we 
shall  discover  the  means  of  its  attainment,  and 
learn  to  know  what  keeps  us  from  it,  and  what  can 
help  us  to  it.  So  we  shall  feel  its  claims,  and  be 
compelled  to  acknowledge  that  there  can  be  no  true 
allegiance  to  our  King  without  simply  and  heartily 
accepting  this  one,  too,  of  His  commands.  So  we 
shall  gaze  on  its  blessedness,  until  desire  be  inflamed. 


16 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


and  the  will  with  all  its  energies  be  roused  to  claim 
and  possess  the  unspeakable  blessing. 

Come,  my  brethren,  and  let  us  day  by  day  set 
mrselves  at  His  feet,  and  meditate  on  this  word  of 
His,  with  an  eye  fixed  on  Him  alone.  Let  us  set 
ourselves  in  quiet  trust  before  Him,  waiting  to  hear 
His  holy  voice, — the  still  small  voice  that  is  mightier 
than  the  storm  that  rends  the  rocks, — breathing  its 
quickening  spirit  within  us,  as  He  speaks:  ‘Abide 
in  me.’  The  soul  that  truly  hears  Jesus  Himself 
speak  the  word,  receives  with  the  word  the  power 
to  accept  and  to  hold  the  blessing  He  offers. 

And  it  may  please  Thee,  blessed  Saviour,  indeed, 
to  speak  to  us ; let  each  of  us  hear  Thy  blessed 
voice.  May  the  feeling  of  our  deep  need,  and  the 
faith  of  Thy  wondrous  love,  combined  with  the 
sight  of  the  wonderfully  blessed  life  Thou  art  wait- 
ing to  bestow  upon  us,  constrain  us  to  listen  and  to 
obey,  as  often  as  Thou  speakest : ‘ Abide  in  me.’ 
Let  day  by  day  the  answer  from  our  heart  be 
clearer  and  fuller : ‘ Blessed  Saviour,  I do  abide  in 
Thee.’ 


AND  VE  SHALL  FIND  KEST  TO  VOUE  SOCLS.  17 


Second  Day. 


ABIDE  IN  CHEIST, 

sfiall  finlj  Eest  to  gout  Souls. 

‘ Come  unto  me,  and  I will  give  you  rest.  Take  my  yoke  upon 
you,  and  learn  of  me  ; and  ye  shall  find  rest  to  your  souls.  ’ — Matt. 
xi.  28,  29. 

soul:  Such  was  the  first  promise 
with  which  the  Saviour  sought  to  win  the 
heavy-laden  sinner.  Simple  though  it  appears,  the 
promise  is  indeed  as  large  and  comprehensive  as 
can  be  found.  Eest  for  the  soul,  — does  it  not  imply 
deliverance  from  every  fear,  the  supply  of  every 
want,  the  fulfilment  of  every  desire  ? And  now 
nothing  less  than  this  is  the  prize  with  which  the 
Saviour  woos  back  the  wandering  one — who  is 
mourning  that  the  rest  has  not  been  so  abiding  or 
so  full  as  it  had  hoped — to  come  back  and  abide  in 
Him.  Nothing  but  this  was  the  reason  that  the 
rest  has  either  not  been  found,  or,  if  found,  has 
been  disturbed  or  lost  again : you  did  not  abide 
with,  you  did  not  abide  in  Him. 

Have  you  ever  noticed  how,  in  the  original 
invitation  of  the  Saviour  to  come  to  Him,  the 
promise  of  rest  was  repeated  twice,  with  such  a 


18 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


variation  in  the  conditions  as  might  have  suggested 
that  abiding  rest  could  only  be  found  in  abiding 
nearness.  First  the  Saviour  says,  ‘ Come  unto  me, 
and  I will  give  you  rest ; ’ the  very  moment  you 
come,  and  believe,  I will  give  you  rest, — the  rest  of 
pardon  and  acceptance, — the  rest  in  my  love.  But 
we  know  that  all  that  God  bestows  needs  time  to 
become  fully  our  own ; it  must  be  held  fast,  and 
appropriated,  and  assimilated  into  our  inmost  being  ; 
without  this  not  even  Clirist’s  giving  can  make  it  our 
very  own,  in  full  experience  and  enjoyment.  And 
so  the  Saviour  repeats  His  promise,  in  words  which 
clearly  speak  not  so  much  of  the  initial  rest  with 
which  He  welcomes  the  weary  one  who  comes,  but 
of  the  deeper  and  personally  appropriated  rest  of 
the  soul  that  abides  with  Him.  He  now  not  only 
says,  ‘ Come  unto  me,’  but  ‘Take  my  yoke  upon  you 
and  learn  of  me ; ’ become  my  scholars,  yield  your- 
selves to  my  training,  submit  in  all  things  to  my 
will,  let  your  whole  life  be  one  with  mine, — in  other 
words.  Abide  in  me.  And  then  He  adds,  not  only, 
‘ I will  give,’  but  ‘ ye  shall  find  rest  to  your  souls.’ 
The  rest  He  gave  at  coming  will  become  something 
you  have  really  found  and  made  your  very  own, — 
the  deeper  the  abiding  rest  which  comes  from  longer 
acquaintance  and  closer  fellowship,  from  entire  sur- 
render and  deeper  sympathy.  ‘ Take  my  yoke,  and 
learn  of  me,’  ‘ Abide  in  me,’ — this  is  the  path  to 
abiding  rest. 

Ho  not  these  words  of  the  Saviour  discover  what 
you  have  perhaps  often  sought  in  vain  to  know, 


AND  YE  SHALL  FIND  REST  TO  YOUR  SOULS.  19 


how  it  is  that  the  rest  you  at  times  enjoy  is  so  often 
lost.  It  must  have  been  this : you  had  not  under- 
stood how  entire  surrender  to  Jesus  is  the  secret  of 
perfect  rest.  Giving  up  one’s  whole  life  to  Him, 
for  Him  alone  to  rule  and  order  it ; taking  up  His 
yoke,  and  submitting  to  be  led  and  taught,  to  learn 
of  Him ; abiding  in  Him,  to  be  and  do  only  what 
He  wills ; — these  are  the  conditions  of  discipleship 
without  which  there  can  be  no  thought  of  maintain- 
ing the  rest  that  was  bestowed  on  first  coming  to 
Christ.  The  rest  is  in  Christ,  and  not  something 
He  gives  apart  from  Himself,  and  so  it  is  only  in 
having  Him  that  the  rest  can  really  be  kept  and 
enjoyed. 

It  is  because  so  many  a young  believer  fails  to 
lay  hold  of  this  truth  that  the  rest  so  speedily 
passes  away.  With  some  it  is  that  they  really  did 
not  know  ; they  were  never  taught  how  Jesus  claims 
the  undivided  allegiance  of  the  whole  heart  and  life  ; 
how  there  is  not  a spot  in  the  whole  of  life  over 
which  He  does  not  wish  to  reign ; how  in  the  very 
least  things  His  disciples  must  only  seek  to  please 
Him.  They  did  not  know  how  entire  the  conse- 
cration was  that  Jesus  claimed.  With  others,  who 
had  some  idea  of  what  a very  holy  life  a Christian 
ought  to  lead,  the  mistake  was  a different  one  : they 
could  not  believe  such  a life  to  be  a possible  attain- 
ment. Taking,  and  bearing,  and  never  for  a moment 
laying  aside  the  yoke  of  Jesus,  appeared  to  them  to 
require  such  a strain  of  effort,  and  such  an  amount 
of  goodness,  as  to  be  altogether  beyond  their  reach. 


20 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


The  very  idea  of  always,  all  the  day,  abiding  in 
Jesus,  was  too  high, — something  they  might  attain 
to  after  a life  of  holiness  and  growth,  but  certainly 
not  what  a feeble  beginner  was  to  start  witli.  They 
did  not  know  how,  wlien  Jesus  said,  ‘ My  yoke  is 
easy,’  He  spoke  the  truth ; how  just  the  yoke  gives 
the  rest,  because  the  moment  tlie  soul  yields  itself 
to  obey,  the  Lord  Himself  gives  the  strength  and  joy 
to  do  it.  They  did  not  notice  how,  when  He  said, 
‘ Learn  of  me,’  He  added,  ' I am  meek  and  lowly  in 
heart,’  to  assure  them  that  His  gentleness  would 
meet  their  every  need,  and  bear  them  as  a mother 
bears  her  feeble  child.  Oh,  they  did  not  know 
that  when  He  said,  ‘ Abide  in  me,’  He  only  asked 
the  surrender  to  Himself,  His  almighty  love  would 
hold  them  fast,  and  keep  and  bless  them.  And  so, 
as  some  had  erred  from  the  want  of  full  consecra- 
tion, so  these  failed  because  they  did  not  fully  trust. 
These  two,  consecration  and  faith,  are  the  essential 
elements  of  the  Christian  life, — the  giving  up  all 
to  Jesus,  the  receiving  all  from  Jesus.  They  are 
implied  in  each  other ; they  are  united  in  the  one 
word — surrender.  A full  surrender  is  to  obey  as 
well  as  to  trust,  to  trust  as  well  as  to  obey. 

With  such  misunderstanding  at  the  outset,  it  is 
no  wonder  that  the  disciple  life  was  not  one  of 
such  joy  or  strength  as  had  been  hoped.  In  some 
things  you  were  led  into  sin  without  knowing  it, 
because  you  liad  not  learned  how  wholly  Jesus 
wanted  to  rule  you,  and  how  you  could  not  keep 
right  for  a moment  unless  you  had  Him  very  near 


AND  YE  SHALL  FIND  REST  TO  YOUR  SOULS.  21 


you.  In  other  things  you  knew  what  sin  was,  but 
had  not  the  power  to  conquer,  because  you  did  not 
know  or  believe  how  entirely  Jesus  would  take 
charge  of  you  to  keep  and  to  help  you.  Either  way, 
it  was  not  long  before  the  bright  joy  of  your  first 
love  was  lost,  and  your  path,  instead  of  being  like 
the  path  of  the  just,  shining  more  and  more  unto 
the  perfect  day,  became  like  Israel’s  wandering  in 
the  desert, — ever  on  the  way,  never  very  far,  and 
yet  always  coming  short  of  the  promised  rest. 
Weary  soul,  since  so  many  years  driven  to  and  fro 
like  the  panting  hart,  0 come  and  learn  this  day 
the  lesson  that  there  is  a spot  where  safety  and 
victory,  where  peace  and  rest,  are  always  sure,  and 
that  that  spot  is  always  open  to  thee — the  heart  of 
Jesus. 

But,  alas ! I hear  some  one  say,  it  is  just  this 
abiding  in  Jesus,  always  bearing  His  yoke,  to  learn 
of  Him,  that  is  so  difficult,  and  the  very  effort  to 
attain  to  this  often  disturbs  the  rest  even  more 
than  sin  or  the  world.  What  a mistake  to  speak 
thus,  and  yet  how  often  the  words  are  heard  ! Does 
it  weary  the  traveller  to  rest  in  the  house  or  on  the 
bed  where  he  seeks  repose  from  his  fatigue  ? Or  is 
it  a labour  to  a little  child  to  rest  in  its  mother’s 
arms  ? Is  it  not  the  house  that  keeps  the  traveller 
within  its  shelter  ? do  not  the  arms  of  the  mother 
sustain  and  keep  the  little  one  ? And  so  it  is  with 
Jesus.  The  soul  has  but  to  yield  itself  to  Him,  to 
be  still  and  rest  in  the  confidence  that  His  love  has 
undertaken,  and  that  His  faithfulness  will  perform. 


22 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


the  work  of  keeping  it  safe  in  the  shelter  of  His 
bosom.  Oh,  it  is  because  the  blessing  is  so  great 
that  our  little  hearts  cannot  rise  to  apprehend  it ; 
it  is  as  if  we  cannot  believe  that  Christ,  the 
Almiglity  One,  will  in  very  deed  teach  and  keep 
us  all  the  day.  And  yet  this  is  just  what  He  has 
promised,  for  without  tliis  He  cannot  really  give  us 
rest.  It  is  as  our  heart  takes  in  this  truth  that, 
when  He  says,  ‘ Abide  in  me,’  ‘ Learn  of  me,’  He 
really  means  it,  and  that  it  is  His  own  work  to  keep 
us  abiding  when  we  yield  ourselves  to  Him,  that 
we  shall  venture  to  cast  ourselves  into  the  arms  of 
His  love,  and  abandon  ourselves  to  His  blessed 
keeping.  It  is  not  the  yoke,  but  resistance  to  the 
yoke,  that  makes  the  difficulty  ; the  whole-hearted 
surrender  to  Jesus,  as  at  once  our  Master  and  our 
Keeper,  finds  and  secures  the  rest. 

Come,  my  brother,  and  let  us  this  very  day 
commence  to  accept  the  word  of  Jesus  in  all 
simplicity.  It  is  a distinct  command  this  : ' Take 
my  yoke,  and  learn  of  me,’  ‘Abide  in  me.  A 
command  has  to  be  obeyed.  The  obedient  scholar 
asks  no  questions  about  possibilities  or  results ; he 
accepts  every  order  in  the  confidence  that  his  teacher 
has  provided  for  all  that  is  needed.  The  power  and 
the  perseverance  to  abide  in  the  rest,  and  the  bless- 
ing in  abiding, — it  belongs  to  the  Saviour  to  see 
to  this ; ’tis  mine  to  obey,  ’tis  His  to  provide.  Let 
us  this  day  in  immediate  obedience  accept  the 
command,  and  answer  boldly,  ‘ Saviour,  I abide  in 
Thee.  At  Thy  bidding  I take  Thy  yoke  ; I under- 


AND  YE  SHALL  FIND  REST  TO  YOUR  SOULS.  23 


take  the  duty  without  delay ; I abide  in  Thee.’  Let 
each  consciousness  of  failure  only  give  new  urgency 
to  the  command,  and  teach  us  to  listen  more 
earnestly  than  ever  till  the  Spirit  again  give  us  to 
hear  the  voice  of  Jesus  saying,  with  a love  and 
authority  that  inspire  both  hope  and  obedience, 
‘ Child,  abide  in  me.’  That  word,  listened  to  as 
coming  from  Himself,  will  be  an  end  of  all 
doubting, — a Divine  promise  of  what  shall  surely 
be  granted.  And  with  ever-increasing  simplicity 
its  meaning  will  be  interpreted.  Abiding  in  Jesus 
is  nothing  but  the  giving  up  of  oneself  to  be  ruled 
and  taught  and  led,  and  so  resting  in  the  arms  of 
Everlasting  Love. 

Blessed  rest ! the  fruit  and  the  foretaste  and  the 
fellowship  of  God’s  own  rest ! found  of  them  who 
thus  come  to  Jesus  to  abide  in  Him.  It  is  the 
peace  of  God,  the  great  calm  of  the  eternal  world, 
that  passeth  all  understanding,  and  that  keeps  the 
heart  and  mind.  With  this  grace  secured,  we  have 
strength  for  every  duty,  courage  for  every  struggle, 
a blessing  in  every  cross,  and  the  joy  of  life  eternal 
in  death  itself. 

0 my  Saviour  ! if  ever  my  heart  should  doubt 
or  fear  again,  as  if  the  blessing  were  too  great  to 
expect,  or  too  high  to  attain,  let  me  hear  Thy  voice 
to  quicken  my  faith  and  obedience  : ‘ Abide  in  me  ; ’ 
‘ Take  my  yoke  upon  you,  and  learn  of  me ; ye,  shall 
find  rest  to  your  souls.’ 


24 


ABIDE  LN  CUEIST : 


Third  Day. 

9 

ABIDE  IN  CHRIST, 

^Trusting  to  ftecp  gou. 

‘ I follow  after,  if  that  I may  apprehend  that  for  which  1 also  am 
apprehended  of  Christ  Jesus.’ — Phil.  iii.  12. 

I^OEE  than  one  admits  that  it  is  a sacred  duty 
and  a blessed  privilege  to  abide  in  Christ, 
but  shrinks  back  continually  before  the  question : 
Is  it  possible,  a life  of  unbroken  fellowship  with 
the  Saviour  ? Eminent  Christians,  to  whom  special 
opportunities  of  cultivating  this  grace  has  been 
granted,  may  attain  to  it ; for  the  large  majority  of 
disciples,  whose  life,  by  a Divine  appointment,  is  so 
fully  occupied  with  the  affairs  of  this  life,  it  can 
scarce  be  expected.  The  more  they  hear  of  this 
life,  the  deeper  their  sense  of  its  glory  and  blessed- 
ness, and  there  is  nothing  they  would  not  sacrifice 
to  be  made  partakers  of  it.  But  they  are  too 
weak,  too  unfaithful, — they  never  can  attain  to  it. 

Dear  souls ! how  little  they  know  that  the 
abiding  in  Christ  is  just  meant  for  the  weak,  and 
so  beautifully  suited  to  their  feebleness.  It  is  not 
the  doing  of  some  great  thing,  and  does  not  demand 


TEUSTING  HIM  TO  KEEP  YOU. 


25 


that  we  first  lead  a very  holy  and  devoted  life. 
No,  it  is  simply  weakness  entrusting  itself  to  a 
Mighty  One  to  be  kept, — the  unfaithful  one  casting 
self  on  One  who  is  altogether  trustworthy  and 
true.  Abiding  in  Him  is  not  a work  that  we  have 
to  do  as  the  condition  for  enjoying  His  salvation, 
but  a consenting  to  let  Him  do  all  for  us,  and  in 
us,  and  through  us.  It  is  a work  He  does  for  us, — 
the  fruit  and  the  power  of  His  redeeming  love. 
Our  part  is  simply  to  yield,  to  ^t,  and  to  wait 
for  what  He  has  engaged  to  perform. 

It  is  this  quiet  expectation  and  confidence,  resting 
on  the  word  of  Christ  that  in  Sim  there  is  an 
abiding  place  prepared,  which  is  so  sadly  wanting 
among  Christians.  They  scarce  take  the  time  or  the 
trouble  to  realize  that  when  He  says  ‘ Abide  in  me,' 
He  offers  Himself,  the  Keeper  of  Israel  that  slumbers 
not  nor  sleeps,  with  all  His  power  and  love,  as  the 
living  home  of  the  soul,  where  the  mighty  influences 
of  His  grace  will  be  stronger  to  keep  than  all  their 
feebleness  to  lead  astray.  The  idea  they  have  of 
grace  is  this, — that  their  conversion  and  pardon  are 
God’s  work,  but  that  now,  in  gratitude  to  God,  it  is 
their  work  to  live  as  Christians,  and  follow  Jesus. 
There  is  always  the  thought  of  a work  that  has 
to  be  done,  and  even  though  they  pray  for  help, 
still  the  work  is  theirs.  They  fail  continually, 
and  become  hopeless ; and  the  despondency  only  in- 
creases the  helplessness.  No,  wandering  one ; as  it 
was  Jesus  who  drew  thee  when  He  spake  ‘ Cornel  so  it 
is  J esus  who  keeps  thee  when  He  says  ‘ Abidel  The 


26 


ABIDE  IN  ClIIilST: 


grace  to  come  and  the  grace  to  abide  are  alike  from 
Him  alone.  That  word  Come,  heard,  meditated  on, 
accepted,  was  the  cord  of  love  that  drew  thee 
nigh ; that  word  Abide  is  even  so  the  hand  with 
which  He  holds  thee  fast  and  hinds  thee  to  Him- 
self. Let  the  sonl  hnt  take  time  to  listen  to  the 
voice  of  Jesns.  ‘ In,  me’  He  says,  ‘ is  thy  place,  in 
my  almighty  arms.  It  is  I who  love  thee  so,  who 
speak  Abide  in  me  j surely  thon  canst  trust  me. 
The  voice  of  Jesus  entering  and  dwelling  in  the 
sonl  cannot  hut  call  for  the  response : ‘Yes,  Saviour, 
m Thee  I can,  I will  abide.’ 

Abide  in  me : These  words  are  no  law  of  Moses, 
demanding  from  the  sinful  what  they  cannot  per- 
form. They  are  the  command  of  love,  which  is 
ever  only  a promise  in  a different  shape.  Think  of 
this  until  all  feeling  of  burden  and  fear  and  despair 
pass  away,  and  the  first  thought  that  comes  as  you 
hear  of  abiding  in  Jesus  he  one  of  bright  and  joyous 
hope ; it  is  for  me,  I know  I shall  enjoy  it.  You 
are  not  under  the  law,  with  its  inexorable  Do,  but 
under  grace,  with  its  blessed  Believe  what  Christ 
will  do  for  you.  And  if  the  question  be  asked, 
‘ But  surely  there  is  something  for  us  to  do  ? ’ the 
answer  is,  ‘ Our  doing  and  working  are  but  the  fiuit 
of  Christ’s  work  in  us.’  It  is  when  the  soul  becomes 
utterly  passive,  looking  and  resting  on  what  Christ 
is  to  do,  that  its  energies  are  stirred  to  their  highest 
activity,  and  that  we  work  most  effectually  because 
we  know  that  He  works  in  us.  It  is  as  we  see 
in  that  word  In  me  the  mighty  energies  of  love 


TRUSTING  HIM  TO  KEEP  YOU. 


27 


reaching  out  after  us  to  have  us  and  to  hold  us, 
that  all  the  strength  of  our  will  is  roused  to  abide 
in  Him. 

This  connection  between  Christ’s  work  and  our 
work  is  beautifully  expressed  in  the  words  of  Paul : 
‘ I follow  after,  if  that  I may  apprehend  that  where- 
unto  I also  am  apprehended  of  Christ  Jesus.’  It 
was  because  he  knew  that  the  mighty  and  the 
faithful  One  had  grasped  him  with  the  glorious  pur- 
pose of  making  him  one  with  Himself,  that  he  did 
his  utmost  to  grasp  the  glorious  prize.  The  faith, 
the  experience,  the  full  assurance,  ‘Christ  hath 
apprehended  me,’  gave  him  the  courage  and  the 
strength  to  press  on  and  apprehend  that  whereunto 
he  was  apprehended.  Each  new  insight  of  the  great 
end  for  which  Christ  had  apprehended  and  was  hold- 
ing him,  roused  him  afresh  to  aihi  at  nothing  less^ 

Paul’s  expression,  and  its  ajDplication  to  the 
Christian  life,  can  be  best  understood  if  we  think 
of  a father  helping  his  child  to  mount  the  side  of 
some  steep  precipice.  The  father  stands  above,  and 
has  taken  the  son  by  the  hand  to  help  him  on.  He 
points  him  to  the  spot  on  which  he  will  help  him 
to  plant  his  feet,  as  he  leaps  upward.  The  leap 
would  he  too  high  and  dangerous  for  the  child  alone  ; 
but  the  father’s  hand  is  his  trust,  and  he  leaps  to 
get  hold  of  the  point  for  which  his  father  has  taken 
hold  of  him.  It  is  the  father’s  strength  that  secures 
him  and  lifts  him  up,  and  so  urges  him  to  use  his 
utmost  strength. 

Such  is  the  relation  between  Christ  and  thee,  0 


28 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


weak  and  trembling  believer ! Fix  first  thine  eyes 
on  the  whereunto  for  wliich  He  hath  apprehended 
tliee.  It  is  nothing  less  than  a life  of  abiding, 
unbroken  fellowsliip  with  Himself  to  which  He  is 
seeking  to  lift  thee  up.  All  that  thou  liast  already 
received — pardon  and  peace,  the  Spirit  and  His 
grace — are  but  preliminary  to  this.  And  all  that 
thou  seest  promised  to  thee  in  the  future — holiness 
and  fruitfulness  and  glory  everlasting — are  but  its 
natural  outcome.  Union  with  Ilirasdf,  and  so  with 
the  Father,  is  His  highest  object.  Fix  thine  eye  on 
this,  and  gaze  until  it  stand  out  before  thee  clear 
and  unmistakeable : Christ’s  aim  is  to  have  me 
abiding  in  Him. 

And  then  let  the  second  thought  enter  thy  heart : 
Unto  this  I am  apprehended  of  Chrint.  His  almighty 
power  hath  laid  hold  on  me,  and  offers  now  to  lift 
me  up  to  where  He  would  have  me.  Fix  thine  eyes 
on  Christ.  Gaze  on  the  love  that  beams  in  those 
eyes,  and  that  asks  whether  thou  canst  not  trust 
Him,  who  sought  and  found  and  brought  thee  nigh, 
now  to  keep  thee.  Gaze  on  that  arm  of  power,  and 
say  whether  thou  hast  not  reason  to  be  assured  that 
lie  is  indeed  able  to  keep  thee  abiding  in  Him. 

And  as  thou  thinkest  of  the  spot  whither  He 
points, — the  blessed  loherenmto  for  which  He  appre- 
hended thee, — and  keepest  thy  gaze  fixed  on  Himself, 
holding  thee  and  waiting  to  lift  thee  up,  0 say, 
couldest  thou  not  this  very  day  take  the  upward 
step,  and  rise  to  enter  u]:)on  this  blessed  life  of 
abiding  in  Christ  ? Yes,  begin  at  once,  and  say, 


TRUSTING  HIM  TO  KEEP  YOU.  29 

‘0  my  Jesus,  if  Thou  biddest  me,  and  if  Thou 
engagest  to  lift  and  keep  me  there,  I will  venture. 
Trembling,  but  trusting,  I will  say:  Jesus,  I do 
abide  in  Thee.’ 

My  beloved  fellow-believer,  go,  and  take  time 
alone  with  Jesus,  and  say  this  to  Him.  I dare  not 
speak  to  you  about  abiding  in  Him  for  the  mere 
sake  of  calling  forth  a pleasing  religious  sentiment. 
God’s  truth  must  at  once  be  acted  on.  0 yield 
yourself  this  very  day  to  the  blessed  Saviour  in  the 
surrender  of  the  one  thing  He  asks  of  you  : give  up 
yourself  to  abide  in  Him.  He  Himself  will  work  it 
in  you.  You  can  trust  Him  to  keep  you  trusting 
and  abiding.  ^ 

And  if  ever  doubts  again  arise,  or  the  bitter 
experience  of  failure  tempt  you  to  despair,  just 
remember  where  Paul  found  His  strength  : ‘ I am 
apprehended  of  Jesus  Christ.’  In  that  assurance 
you  have  a fountain  of  strength.  From  that  you 
can  look  up  to  the  whereunto  on  which  He  has  set 
His  heart,  and  set  yours  there  too.  From  that  you 
garner  confidence  that  the  good  work  He  hath  begun 
He  will  also  perform.  And  in  that  confidence  you 
will  gather  courage,  day  by  day,  afresh  to  say,  ‘ “ I 
follow  on,  that  I may  also  apprehend  that  for  which 
I am  apprehended  of  Christ  Jesus.”  It  is  because 
Jesus  has  taken  hold  of  me,  and  because  Jesus  keeps 
me,  that  I dare  to  say : Saviour,  I abide  in  Thee.’ 


30 


ABIDE  LS  CUKIST: 


Fourth  Day. 

ABIDE  IN  CHRIST, 

tfje  Brancij  in  tt)E  Fine. 

* I am  the  Vine,  ye  are  the  branches.' — John  xv.  6. 

IT  was  in  connection  with  the  Parable  of  the  Vine 
that  our  Lord  first  used  the  expression,  ‘ Abide 
in  me/  That  parable,  so  simple,  and  yet  so  rich  in 
its  teaching,  gives  us  the  best  and  most  complete 
illustration  of  the  meaning  of  our  Lord's  command, 
and  the  union  to  which  He  invites  us. 

The  parable  teaches  us  the  nature  of  that  union. 
The  connection  between  the  vine  and  the  branch  is 
a living  one.  No  external,  temporary  union  will 
suffice ; no  work  of  man  can  effect  it : the  branch, 
whether  an  original  or  an  engrafted  ore,  is  such  only 
by  the  Creator  s own  work,  in  virtue  of  which  the 
life,  the  sap,  the  fatness,  and  the  fruitfulness  of  the 
vine  communicate  themselves  to  the  branch.  And 
just  so  it  is  with  the  believer  too.  His  union  with  his 
Lord  is  no  work  of  human  wisdom  or  human  will, 
but  an  act  of  God,  by  which  the  closest  and  most 
complete  life-union  is  effected  between  the  Son  of 
God  and  the  sinner.  ‘ God  hath  sent  forth  the  S]pirit 


AS  THE  BRANCH  IN  THE  VINE. 


31 


of  His  Son  into  your  hearts'  The  same  Spirit  which 
dwelt  and  still  dwells  in  the  Son,  becomes  the  life 
of  the  believer ; in  the  unity  of  that  one  Spirit,  and 
the  fellowship  of  the  same  life  which  is  in  Christ, 
he  is  one  witli  Him.  As  between  the  vine  and 
branch,  it  is  a life-union  that  makes  them  one. 

The  parable  teaches  us  the  completeness  of  the 
union.  So  close  is  the  union  between  the  vine  and 
the  branch,  that  each  is  nothing  without  the  other, 
that  each  is  wholly  and  only  for  the  other. 

Without  the  vine  the  hranch  can  do  nothing.  To 
the  vine  it  owes  its  right  of  place  in  the  vineyard, 
its  life  and  its  fruitfulness.  And  so  the  Lord  says, 
‘ Without  me  ye  can  do  nothing.’  The  believer  can 
each  day  be  pleasing  to  God  only  in  that  which  he 
does  through  the  power  of  Christ  dwelling  in  him. 
The  daily  inflowing  of  the  life-sap  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  his  only  power  to  bring  forth  fruit.  He  lives 
alone  in  Him  and  is  for  each  moment  dependent 
on  Him  alone. 

Without  the  hranch  the  vine  can  also  do  nothing. 
A vine  without  branches  can  bear  no  fruit.  No  less 
indispensable  than  the  vine  to  the  branch,  is  the 
branch  to  the  vine.  Such  is  the  wonderful  con- 
descension of  the  grace  of  Jesus,  that  just  as  His 
people  are  dependent  on  Him,  He  has  made  Himself 
dependent  on  them.  Without  His  disciples  He 
cannot  dispense  His  blessing  to  the  world ; He 
cannot  offer  sinners  the  grapes  of  the  heavenly 
Canaan.  Marvel  not ! It  is  His  own  appointment ; 
and  this  is  the  high  honour  to  which  He  has  called 


32 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


His  redeemed  ones,  that  as  indispensable  as  He  is 
to  them  in  heaven,  that  from  Him  their  fruit  may 
be  found,  so  indispensable  are  they  to  Him  on 
earth,  that  through  them  His  fruit  may  be  found 
Believers,  meditate  on  this,  until  your  soul  bows  to 
worship  in  presence  of  the  mystery  of  the  perfect 
union  between  Christ  and  the  believer. 

There  is  more  : as  neither  vine  nor  branch  is 
anything  without  the  other,  so  is  neither  anything 
except  for  the  other. 

All  the  vine  possesses  belongs  to  the  branches.  The 
vine  does  not  gather  from  the  soil  its  fatness  and 
its  sweetness  for  itself, — all  it  has  is  at  the  dis- 
posal of  the  branches.  As  it  is  the  parent,  so  it  is 
the  servant  of  the  branches.  And  Jesus,  to  whom 
we  owe  our  life,  how  completely  does  He  give  Him- 
self for  us  and  to  us : ‘ The  glory  Thou  gavest  me, 
I have  given  them ; ' ' He  that  believeth  in  me,  the 
works  that  I do  shall  he  do  also ; and  greater  works 
shall  he  do.'  All  His  fulness  and  all  His  riches 
are  for  thee,  0 believer  ; for  the  vine  does  not  live 
for  itself,  keeps  nothing  for  itself,  but  exists  only  for 
the  branches.  All  that  Jesus  is  in  heaven.  He  is 
for  us  : He  has  no  interest  there  separate  from  ours  ; 
as  our  representative  He  stands  before  the  Father. 

And  all  the  branch  possesses  bdongs  to  the  vine. 
The  branch  does  not  exist  for  itself,  but  to  bear  fruit 
that  can  proclaim  the  excellence  of  the  vine : it  has 
no  reason  of  existence  except  to  be  of  service  to 
the  vine.  Glorious  image  of  the  calling  of  the 
believer,  and  the  entireiiess  of  liis  consecration  to 


AS  THE  BRANCH  IN  THE  VINE. 


33 


the  service  of  his  Lord.  As  Jesus  gives  Himself  so 
wholly  over  to  him,  he  feels  himself  urged  to  be 
wholly  his  Lord’s.  Every  power  of  his  being,  every 
moment  of  his  life,  every  thought  and  feeling,  belong 
to  Jesus,  that  from  Him  and  for  Him  he  may  bring 
forth  fruit.  As  he  realizes  what  the  vine  is  to  the 
branch,  and  what  the  branch  is  meant  to  be  to  the 
vine,  he  feels  that  he  has  but  one  thing  to  think  of 
and  to  live  for,  and  that  is,  the  will,  the  glory,  the 
work,  the  kingdom  of  his  blessed  Lord, — the  bring- 
ing forth  of  fruit  to  the  glory  of  His  name. 

The  parable  teaches  us  Ike  object  of  the  union. 
The  branches  are  ior  fruit  smA  fruit  alone.  ‘Every 
branch  that  beareth  not  fruit  He  taketh  away.’  The 
branch  needs  leaves  for  the  maintenance  of  its  own 
life,  and  the  perfection  of  its  fruit : the  fruit  itself  it 
bears  to  give  away  to  those  around.  As  the  believer 
enters  into  his  calling  as  a branch,  he  sees  that  he 
has  to  forget  himself,  and  to  live  entirely  for  his 
fellowmen.  To  love  them,  to  seek  for  them,  and  to 
save  them,  J esus  came : for  this  every  branch  on 
the  Vine  has  to  live  as  much  as  the  Vine  itself.  It 
is  for  fruit,  much  fruit,  that  the  Father  has  made  us 
one  with  Jesus. 

Wondrous  Parable  of  the  Vine, — unveiling  the 
mysteries  of  the  Divine  love,  of  the  heavenly  life, 
of  the  world  of  Spirit, — how  little  have  I understood 
thee!  Jesus  the  living  Vine  in  heaven,  and  I the 
living  branch  on  earth  I How  little  have  I under- 
stood how  great  my  need,  but  also  how  perfect  my 
claim,  to  all  His  fulness  I How  little  understood 

o 


34 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


how  great  His  need,  but  also  how  perfect  Ilis  claim, 
to  my  emptiness  ! Let  me,  in  its  beautiful  light, 
study  the  wondrous  union  between  Jesus  and  His 
people,  until  it  becomes  to  me  the  guide  into  full 
communion  with  my  beloved  I.ord.  Let  me  listen 
and  believe,  until  my  whole  being  cries  out,  Mesus 
is  indeed  to  me  the  True  Vine,  bearing  me,  nourish- 
ing me,  supplying  me,  using  me,  and  filling  me  to 
tlie  full  to  make  me  bring  forth  fruit  abundantly/ 
Then  shall  I not  fear  to  say,  ' I am  indeed  a branch 
to  Jesus,  the  True  Vine,  abiding  in  Him,  resting  on 
Him,  waiting  for  Him,  serving  Him,  and  living  only 
that  through  me,  too.  He  may  show  forth  the  riches 
of  His  grace,  and  give  His  fruit  to  a perishing 
world. 

It  is  when  we  try  thus  to  understand  the  meaning 
of  the  parable,  that  the  blessed  command  spoken  in 
connection  with  it  will  come  home  to  us  in  its  true 
power.  The  thought  of  what  the  Vine  is  to  the 
branch,  and  Jesus  to  the  believer,  will  give  new 
force  to  the  words,  ' Abide  in  me  ! ’ It  will  be  as 
if  He  says,  ‘ Think,  soul,  how  completely  I belong 
to  thee.  I have  joined  myself  inseparably  to  thee ; 
all  the  fulness  and  fatness  of  the  Vine  are  thine  in 
very  deed.  How  thou  once  art  in  me,  be  assured 
that  all  I have  is  wholly  thine.  It  is  my  interest 
and  my  honour  to  liave  thee  a fruitful  branch ; only 
Abide  in  me.  Thou  art  weak,  but  I am  strong ; 
thou  art  poor,  but  I am  rich.  Only  abide  in  me ; 
yield  thyself  wliolly  to  my  teaching  and  rule  ; simply 
trust  my  love,  my  grace,  my  promises.  Only  believe : 


AS  THE  BRANCH  IN  THE  VINE. 


35 


I am  wholly  thine ; I am  the  Vine,  thou  art  the 
branch.  Abide  in  me.’ 

What  sayest  thou,  0 my  soul  ? Shall  I longer 
hesitate,  or  withhold  consent  ? Or  shall  I not, 
instead  of  only  thinking  how  hard  and  how  difficult 
it  is  to  live  like  a branch  of  the  True  Vine,  because 
I thought  of  it  as  something  I had  to  accomplish, — 
shall  I not  now  begin  to  look  upon  it  as  the  most 
blessed  and  joyful  thing  under  heaven?  Shall  I 
not  believe  that,  now  I once  am  in  Him,  He  Him- 
self will  keep  me  and  enable  me  to  abide  ? On 
my  part,  abiding  is  nothing  but  the  acceptance  of 
my  position,  the  consent  to  be  kept  there,  the 
surrender  of  faith  to  the  strong  ATne  still  to  hold 
the  feeble  branch.  Yes,  I will,  I do  abide  in  Thee, 
blessed  Lord  Jesus. 

0 Saviour,  how  unspeakable  is  Thy  love  ! ‘ Such 

knowledge  is  too  wonderful  for  me  : it  is  high,  I 
cannot  attain  unto  it.’  I can  only  yield  myself  to 
Thy  love  with  the  prayer  that,  day  by  day.  Thou 
wouldest  unfold  to  me  somewhat  of  its  precious 
mysteries,  and  so  encourage  and  strengthen  Thy 
loviug  disciple  to  do  what  his  heart  longs  to  do 
indeed, — ever,  only,  wholly  to  abide  in  Thee. 


36 


ABIDE  IN  CUBIST : 


Fifth  Day. 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST, 

5?tm,  bg  jfattl)* 

‘As  ye  have  received  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord,  so  walk  ye  in  Him  : 
rooted  and  built  up  in  Him,  and  stablished  in  the  faith,  abounding 
therein.’ — Col.  ii.  6,  7. 

IN  these  words  the  apostle  teacnes  us  the  weighty 
lesson,  that  it  is  not  only  by  faith  that  we  first 
come  to  Christ  and  are  united  to  Him,  but  that  it 
is  by  faith  that  we  are  to  be  rooted  and  established 
in  our  union  with  Christ.  Not  less  essential  than 
for  the  commencement,  is  faith  for  the  progress  of 
the  spiritual  life.  Abiding  in  Jesus  can  only  be  by 
faith. 

There  are  earnest  Christians  who  do  not  under- 
stand this  ; or,  if  they  admit  it  in  theory,  they  fail 
to  realize  its  application  in  practice.  They  are  very 
zealous  for  a free  gospel,  with  our  first  acceptance  of 
Christ,  and  justification  by  faith  alone.  But  after 
this  they  think  everything  depends  on  our  diligence 
and  faithfulness.  While  they  firmly  grasp  the  truth, 
‘ The  sinner  shall  be  justified  by  faith,’  they  have 
hardly  found  a place  in  their  scheme  for  the  larger 
truth,  ‘The  just  shall  live  by  faith.’  They  have  never 


AS  YOU  CAME  TO  HIM,  BY  FAITH.  37 

understood  what  a perfect  Saviour  Jesus  is,  and  how 
He  will  each  day  do  for  the  sinner  just  as  much  as 
He  did  the  first  day  when  he  came  to  Him.  They 
know  not  that  the  life  of  grace  is  always  and  only 
a life  of  faith,  and  that  in  the  relationship  to  Jesus 
the  one  daily  and  unceasing  duty  of  the  disciple  is  to 
helieve,  because  believing  is  the  one  channel  through 
which  Divine  grace  and  strength  fiow  out  into  the 
heart  of  man.  The  old  nature  of  the  believer  remains 
evil  and  sinful  to  the  last ; it  is  only  as  he  daily 
comes,  all  empty  and  helpless,  to  his  Saviour  to 
receive  of  His  life  and  strength,  that  he  can  bring 
forth  the  fruits  of  righteousness  to  the  glory  of  God. 
Therefore  it  is : ‘ As  ye  have  received  Christ  Jesus 
the  Lord,  so  walk  ye  in  Him : rooted  in  Him,  and 
stablished  in  the  faith,  abounding  therein.’  As  you 
came  to  Jesus,  so  abide  in  Him,  by  faith. 

And  if  you  would  know  how  faith  is  to  be 
exercised  in  thus  abiding  in  Jesus,  to  be  rooted 
more  deeply  and  firmly  in  Him,  you  have  only  to 
look  back  to  the  time  when  first  you  received  Him. 
You  remember  well  what  obstacles  at  that  time 
there  appeared  to  be  in  the  way  of  your  believing. 
There  was  first  your  vileness  and  guilt : it  appeared 
impossible  that  the  promise  of  pardon  and  love 
could  be  for  such  a sinner.  Then  there  was  the 
sense  of  weakness  and  death  : you  felt  not  the  power 
for  the  surrender  and  the  trust  to  which  you  were 
called.  And  then  there  was  the  future : you 
dared  not  undertake  to  be  a disciple  of  Jesus 
while  you  felt  so  sure  that  you  could  not  remaiu 


38 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST: 


standing,  but  would  speedily  again  be  unfaithful  and 
fall.  These  difliculties  were  like  mountains  in  your 
way.  And  how  were  they  removed  ? Simply  by 
the  word  of  God.  That  word,  as  it  were,  compelled 
you  to  believe  that,  notwithstanding  guilt  in  tlie 
past,  and  weakness  in  the  present,  and  unfaithful- 
ness in  the  future,  the  promise  was  sure  that  Jesus 
would  accept  and  save  you.  On  that  word  you 
ventured  to  come,  and  were  not  deceived : you 
found  that  Jesus  did  indeed  accept  and  save. 

Apply  this,  your  experience  in  coming  to  Jesus, 
to  the  abiding  in  Him.  Now,  as  then,  the  tempta- 
tions to  keep  you  from  believing  are  many.  WLcji 
you  think  of  your  sins  since  you  became  a disciple, 
your  heart  is  cast  down  with  shame,  and  it  looks  as  if 
it  were  too  much  to  expect  that  Jesus  should  indeed 
receive  you  into  perfect  intimacy  and  the  full  enjoy- 
ment of  His  holy  love.  When  you  think  how 
utterly,  in  times  past,  you  have  failed  in  keeping 
the  most  sacred  vows,  the  consciousness  of  present 
weakness  makes  you  tremble  at  the  very  idea  of 
answering  the  Saviour’s  command  with  the  promise, 
‘ Lord,  from  henceforth  I will  abide  in  Thee.’  And 
when  you  set  before  yourself  the  life  of  love  and 
joy,  of  holiness  and  fruitfulness,  which  in  the  future 
arc  to  flow  from  abiding  in  Him,  it  is  as  if  it  only 
serves  to  make  you  still  more  hopeless : you,  at 
least,  can  never  attain  to  it.  You  know  yourself 
too  well.  It  is  no  use  expecting  it,  only  to  be  dis- 
api>ointed  a life  fully  and  wliolly  abiding  in  Jesus 
is  not  for  you, 


AS  YOU  CAME  TO  HIM,  BY  FAITH. 


39 


Oh  that  you  would  learn  a lesson  from  the  time 
of  your  first  coming  to  the  Saviour  ! Eemember, 
dear  soul,  how  you  then  were  led,  contrary  to  all 
that  your  experience,  and  your  feelings,  and  even 
your  sober  judgment  said,  to  take  Jesus  at  His 
word,  and  how  you  were  not  disappointed.  He  did 
receive  you,  and  pardon  you ; He  did  love  you,  and 
save  you, — you  know  it.  And  if  He  did  this  for 
you  when  you  were  an  enemy  and  a stranger,  what 
think  you,  now  that  you  are  His  own,  v/ill  He  not 
much  more  fulfil  His  promise  ? Oh  that  you  would 
come  and  begin  simply  to  listen  to  His  word,  and  to 
ask  only  the  one  question : Does  He  really  mean 
that  I should  abide  in  Him  ? The  answer  His  word 
gives  is  so  simple  and  so  sure : By  His  almighty 
grace  you  now  are  in  Him;  that  same  almighty 
grace  will  indeed  enable  you  to  abide  in  Him.  By 
faith  you  became  partakers  of  the  initial  grace ; by 
that  same  faith  you  can  enjoy  the  continuous  grace 
of  abiding  in  Him. 

And  if  you  ask  what  exactly  it  is  that  you  now 
have  to  believe  that  you  may  abide  in  Him,  the 
answer  is  not  difficult.  Believe  first  of  all  what  He 
says  : ‘ I am  the  Vine.’  The  safety  and  the  fruit- 
fulness of  the  branch  depend  upon  the  strength  of 
the  vine.  Think  not  so  much  of  thyself  as  a branch, 
nor  of  the  abiding  as  thy  duty,  until  thou  hast  first 
had  thy  soul  filled  with  the  faith  of  what  Christ  as 
the  Vine  is.  He  really  will  he  to  thee  all  that  a 
vine  can  holding  thee  fast,  nourishing  thee, 
and  making  Himself  every  moment  responsible  for 


40 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


thy  growth  and  thy  fruit.  Take  time  to  know,  set 
thyself  heartily  to  believe : My  Vine,  on  whom  I 
can  depend  for  all  1 need,  is  Christ.  A large,  strong 
vine  bears  the  feeble  branch,  and  holds  it  more  than 
the  branch  holds  the  vine.  Ask  the  Father  by  the 
Holy  Ghost  to  reveal  to  thee  what  a glorious,  loving, 
mighty  Christ  this  is,  in  whom  thou  liast  thy  place 
and  thy  life ; it  is  the  faith  in  what  Christ  is,  more 
than  anything  else,  that  will  keep  thee  abiding  in 
Him.  A soul  filled  with  large  thoughts  of  the  Vine 
will  be  a strong  branch,  and  will  abide  confidently 
in  Him.  Be  much  occupied  with  Jesus,  and  believe 
much  in  Him,  as  the  True  Vine. 

And  then,  when  Faith  can  well  say,  ‘ He  is  my 
Vine,’  let  it  further  say,  ‘ I am  His  branch,  I am  in 
Him.’  I speak  to  those  who  say  they  are  Christ’s 
disciples,  and  on  them  I cannot  too  earnestly  press 
the  importance  of  exercising  their  faith  in  saying,  T 
am  in  Him.’  It  makes  the  abiding  so  simple.  If  I 
realize  clearly  as  I meditate : Now  I am  in  Him,  I 
see  at  once  that  there  is  nothing  wanting  but  just 
my  consent  to  be  what  He  has  made  me,  to  remain 
where  He  has  placed  me.  I am  in  Christ : This 
simple  thought,  carefully,  prayerfully,  believingly 
uttered,  removes  all  difficulty  as  if  there  were  some 
great  attainment  to  be  reached.  No,  / am  in  Christ, 
my  blessed  Saviour.  His  love  hatli  prepared  a home 
for  me  with  Himself,  when  He  says,  ‘ Abide  in  my 
love ; ’ and  His  power  has  undertaken  to  keep  the 
door,  and  to  keep  me  in,  if  I will  but  consent.  1 
am  in  Christ ; I have  now  but  to  say,  ' Saviour,  I 


AS  YOU  CAME  TO  HIM,  BY  FAITH. 


41 


bless  Thee  for  this  wondrous  grace.  I consent ; I 
yield  myself  to  Thy  gracious  keeping  ; I do  abide  in 
Thee.’ 

It  is  astonishing  how  such  a faith  will  work  out 
all  that  is  further  implied  in  abiding  in  Christ. 
There  is  in  the  Christian  life  great  need  of  watch- 
fulness and  of  prayer,  of  self-denial  and  of  striving, 
of  obedience  and  of  diligence.  But  ' all  things  are 
possible  to  him  that  belie veth.’  ‘ This  is  the  victory 
that  overcometh,  even  our  faith.’  It  is  the  faith  that 
continually  closes  its  eyes  to  the  weakness  of  the 
creature,  and  finds  its  joy  in  the  sufficiency  of  an 
Almighty  Saviour,  that  makes  the  soul  strong  and 
glad.  It  gives  itself  up  to  be  led  by  the  Holy  Spirit 
into  an  ever  deeper  appreciation  of  that  wonderful 
Saviour  whom  God  hath  given  us, — the  Infinite 
Immanuel.  It  follows  the  leading  of  the  Spirit 
from  page  to  page  of  the  blessed  Word,  with  the  one 
desire  to  take  each  revelation  of  what  Jesus  is  and 
what  He  promises  as  its  nourishment  and  its  life. 
In  accordance  with  the  promise,  ' If  that  which  ye 
have  heard  from  the  beginning  abide  in  you,  ye  shall 
also  abide  in  the  Father  and  the  Son,’  it  lives  by  every 
word  that  proceedeth  out  of  the  mouth  of  God.  And  so 
ifi  makes  the  soul  strong  with  the  strength  of  God, 
to  be  and  to  do  all  that  is  needed  for  abiding  in  Christ. 

Believer,  thou  wouldest  abide  in  Christ : only 
believe.  Believe  always  ; believe  now.  Bow  even 
now  before  thy  Lord,  and  say  to  Him  in  childlike 
faith,  that  because  He  is  thy  Vine,  and  thou  art  His 
branch,  thou  wilt  this  day  abide  in  Him, 


42 


ABIDE  IN  CIIIUST: 


Note. 

‘ I am  the  True  Vine.”  He  who  offers  us  the 
privilege  of  an  actual  union  with  Himself  is  the 
great  I Am,  the  almighty  God,  wlio  upholds  all 
tilings  by  the  word  of  His  power.  And  this 
almighty  God  reveals  Himself  as  our  perfect 
Saviour,  even  to  the  unimaginable  extent  of  seeking 
to  renew  our  fallen  natures  by  grafting  them  into 
His  own  Divine  nature. 

‘ To  realize  the  glorious  Deity  of  Him  whose  call 
sounds  forth  to  longing  hearts  with  such  exceeding 
sweetness,  is  no  small  step  towards  gaining  the  full 
privilege  to  which  we  are  invited.  But  longing  is 
by  itself  of  no  use ; still  less  can  there  be  any  profit 
in  reading  of  the  blessed  results  to  be  gained  from 
a close  and  personal  union  with  our  Lord,  if  we  believe 
that  union  to  be  practically  beyond  our  reach.  His 
wmrds  are  meant  to  be  a living,  an  eternal,  precious 
reality.  And  this  they  can  never  become  unless 
we  are  sure  that  we  may  reasonably  cxpeet  their  aecom- 
plishment.  But  what  could  make  the  accomplishment 
of  such  an  idea  possible, — what  could  make  it  reason- 
able to  suppose  that  we  poor,  weak,  selfish  creatures, 
full  of  sin  and  full  of  failures,  might  be  saved  out  of 
the  corruption  of  our  nature  and  made  partakers  of 
the  holiness  of  our  Lord, — except  the  fact,  the  mar- 
vellous, unalterable  fact,  that  He  who  proposes  to 
us  so  great  a transformation  is  Himself  the  ever- 
lasting God,  as  able  as  He  is  willing  to  fulfil  His 


AS  YOU  CAME  TO  HIM,  BY  FAITH. 


43 


own  word.  In  meditating,  therefore,  upon  these 
utterances  of  Christ,  containing  as  they  do  the  very 
essence  of  His  teaching,  the  very  concentration  of 
His  love,  let  us,  at  the  outset,  put  away  all  tendency 
to  doubt.  Let  us  not  allow  ourselves  so  much  as  to 
question  lohether  such  erring  disciples  as  we  are  can 
be  enabled  to  attain  the  holiness  to  which  we  are  called 
through  a close  and  intimate  union  with  our  Lord. 
If  there  be  any  impossibility,  any  falling  short  of 
the  proposed  blessedness,  it  will  arise  from  the  lack 
of  earnest  desire  on  our  part.  There  is  no  lack  in 
any  respect  on  His  part  who  puts  forth  the  invita- 
tion ; with  God  there  can  be  no  shortcoming  in  the 
fulfilment  of  His  promise.’ — The  Life  of  Fellowship  ; 
Meditations  on  John  xy.  1-11,  by  A.  M.  James. 

It  is  perhaps  necessary  to  say,  for  the  sake  of 
young  or  doubting  Christians,  that  there  is  some- 
thing more  necessary  than  the  effort  to  exercise 
faith  in  each  separate  promise  that  is  brought  under 
our  notice.  What  is  of  even  greater  importance  is 
the  cultivation  of  a trustful  disposition  towards  God, 
the  habit  of  always  thinking  of  Him,  of  His  ways 
and  His  works,  with  bright  confiding  hopefulness. 
In  such  soil  alone  can  the  individual  promises  strike 
root  and  grow  up.  In  a little  work  published  by 
the  Tract  Society,  Encouragements  to  Faith,  by 
James  Kimball,  there  will  be  found  many  most 
suggestive  and  helpful  thoughts,  all  pleading  for  the 
right  God  has  to  claim  that  He  shall  he  trusted. 
The  Christian's  Secret  of  a Happy  Life  is  another 
little  work  that  has  been  ^ great  help  to  many.  Its 


44 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


bright  and  buoyant  tone,  its  loving  and  unceasing 
repetition  of  the  keynote, — we  may  indeed  depend 
on  Jesus  to  do  all  He  has  said,  and  more  than  we 
can  think, — has  breathed  hope  and  joy  into  many 
a heart  that  was  almost  ready  to  despair  of  ever 
getting  on.  In  Frances  Havergal’s  Kept  for  the 
Master's  Use,  there  is  the  same  healthful,  hope- 
inspiring  tone. 


GOD  HIMSELF  HAS  UNITED  YOU  TO  HIM. 


45 


Sixth  Day. 

ABIDE  IN  CHEIST: 

litntself  tas  uniteli  goii  to 

‘Of  God  are  ye  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  was  made  unto  us  wisdom 
from  God,  both  righteousness  and  sanctification,  and  redemption.’ 
— 1 Cor.  i.  30  (R.  Y.  marg.), 

‘ My  Father  is  the  Husbandman.’ — John  xv.  1. 

‘ are  in  Christ  Jesus.’  The  believers  at 

A Corinth  were  still  feeble  and  carnal,  only 
babes  in  Christ.  And  yet  Paul  wants  them,  at  the 
outset  of  his  teaching,  to  know  distinctly  that  they 
are  in  Christ  Jesus.  The  whole  Christian  life 
depends  on  the  clear  consciousness  of  our  position 
in  Christ.  Most  essential  to  the  abiding  in  Christ 
is  the  daily  renewal  of  our  faith’s  assurance, ' I am 
in  Christ  Jesus.’  All  fruitful  preaching  to  believers 
must  take  this  as  its  starting-point : 'Ye  are  in 
Christ  Jesus.’ 

But  the  apostle  has  an  additional  thought,  of 
almost  greater  importance : ' Of  God  are  ye  in 
Christ  Jesus.’  He  would  have  us  not  only  re- 
member our  union  to  Christ,  but  specially  that  it  is 
not  our  own  doing,  but  the  work  of  God  Himself. 
As  the  Holy  Spirit  teaches  us  to  realize  this,  we 
shall  see  what  a source  of  assurance  and  strength 


46 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


it  must  become  to  iis.  If  it  is  of  God  alone  that  T 
am  in  Christ,  then  God  Himself,  the  Infinite  One, 
becomes  my  security  for  all  I can  need  or  wish  in 
seeking  to  abide  in  Christ. 

Let  me  try  and  understand  what  it  means,  this 
wonderful  ‘ Of  God  in  Christ.’  In  becoming  par- 
takers of  the  union  with  Christ,  there  is  a work  God 
does  and  a work  we  have  to  do.  God  does  His 
work  by  moving  us  to  do  our  work.  The  work  of 
God  is  hidden  and  silent ; what  we  do  is  something 
distinct  and  tangible.  Conversion  and  faith,  prayer 
and  obedience,  are  conscious  acts  of  which  we  can 
give  a clear  account ; while  the  spiritual  quickening 
and  strengthening  that  come  from  above  are  secret 
and  beyond  the  reach  of  human  sight.  And  so  it 
comes  that  when  the  believer  tries  to  say,  ‘ I am  in 
Christ  Jesus,’  he  looks  more  to  the  work  he  did, 
than  to  that  wondrous  secret  work  of  God  by  which 
he  was  united  to  Christ.  Nor  can  it  well  be  other- 
wise at  the  commencement  of  the  Christian  course. 
' I know  that  I have  believed,’  is  a valid  testimony. 
But  it  is  of  great  consequence  that  the  mind  should 
be  led  to  see  that  at  the  back  of  our  turning,  and 
believing,  and  accepting  of  Christ,  there  was  God’s 
almighty  power  doing  its  work, — inspiring  our  will, 
taking  possession  of  us,  and  carrying  out  its  own 
purpose  of  love  in  planting  us  into  Christ  Jesus. 
As  the  believer  enters  into  this,  the  Divine  side  of 
the  work  of  salvation,  he  will  learn  to  praise  and  to 
worship  with  new  exultation,  and  to  rejoice  more 
than  ever  in  the  divineness  of  that  salvation  he  has 


GOD  HIMSELF  HAS  UNITED  YOU  TO  HIM.  47 


been  made  partaker  of.  At  each  step  he  reviews, 
the  song  will  come,  ‘ This  is  the  Lord’s  doing,’ — • 
Divine  Omnipotence  working  out  what  Eternal  Love 
had  devised.  ' Of  God  I am  in  Christ  Jesus.’ 

The  words  will  lead  him  even  further  and  higher, 
even  to  the  depths  of  eternity.  ‘ Whom  He  hath 
predestinated,  them.  He  also  called.’  The  calling  in 
time  is  the  manifestation  of  the  purpose  in  eternity. 
Ere  the  world  was,  God  had  fixed  the  eye  of  His 
sovereign  love  on  thee  in  the  election  of  grace,  and 
chosen  thee  in  Christ.  That  thou  knowest  thyself 
to  be  in  Christ,  is  the  stepping-stone  by  which  thou 
risest  to  understand  in  its  full  meaning  the  word, 
' Of  God  I am  in  Christ  Jesus.’  With  the  prophet, 
thy  language  will  be,  ‘ The  Lord  hath  appeared  of 
old  unto  me : yea,  I have  loved  thee  with  an  ever- 
lasting love,  therefore  with  loving-kindness  have  I 
drawn  thee.’  And  thou  wilt  recognise  thine  own 
salvation  as  a part  of  that  ' mystery  of  His  wull, 
according  to  the  good  pleasure  of  His  will  which  He 
purposed  in  Himself,’  and  join  with  the  whole  body 
of  believers  in  Christ  as  these  say,  ' In  whom  we 
also  have  obtained  an  inheritance,  being  predestinated 
according  to  the  purpose  of  Him  who  worketh  all 
things  after  the  counsel  of  His  own  will.’  Nothing 
will  more  exalt  free  grace,  and  make  man  bow  very 
low  before  it,  than  this  knowledge  of  the  mystery 
‘ Of  God  in  Christ.’ 

It  is  easy  to  see  what  a mighty  influence  it  must 
exert  on  the  believer  who  seeks  to  abide  in  Christ. 
What  a sure  standing-ground  it  gives  him,  as  he 


48 


ABIDE  IN  CIIIUST  : 


rests  his  right  to  Christ  and  all  TTis  fulness  on 
nothing  less  than  the  Father’s  own  purpose  and 
work  ! We  have  thought  of  Christ  as  the  Vine,  and 
the  believer  as  the  branch  ; let  us  not  forget  that 
other  precious  word,  ‘My  Father  is  the  Husbandman.’ 
The  Saviour  said,  ‘ Every  plant  which  my  Heavenly 
Father  hath  not  planted,  shall  be  rooted  up;’  butevery 
branch  grafted  by  Him  in  the  True  Vine,  shall  never 
be  plucked  out  of  His  hand.  As  it  was  the  Father 
to  whom  Christ  owed  all  He  was,  and  in  whom  He 
had  all  His  strength  and  His  life  as  the  Vine,  so 
to  the  Father  the  believer  owes  his  jilace  and  his 
security  in  Christ.  The  same  love  and  deliglit 
with  which  the  Father  watched  over  the  beloved 
Son  Himself,  watches  over  every  member  of  His 
body,  every  one  who  is  in  Christ  Jesus. 

What  confident  trust  this  faith  inspires, — not 
only  as  to  the  being  kept  in  safety  to  the  end,  but 
specially  as  to  the  being  able  to  fulfil  in  every  point 
the  object  for  which  I have  been  united  to  Christ. 
The  branch  is  as  much  in  the  charge  and  keeping  of 
the  husbandman  as  the  vine  ; his  honour  as  much 
concerned  in  the  well-being  and  growth  of  the  branch 
as  of  the  vine.  The  God  who  chose  Christ  to  be  Vine 
fitted  Him  thoroughly  for  the  work  He  had  as  Vine 
to  perform.  The  God  who  has  chosen  me  and 
planted  me  in  Christ,  has  thereby  engaged  to  secure, 
if  1 will  but  let  Him,  by  yielding  myself  to  Him, 
that  I in  every  way  be  worthy  of  Jesus  Christ.  Oh 
tliat  T did  but  fully  realize  this!  What  confidence  and 
urgency  it  would  give  to  my  prayer  to  the  God  and 


GOD  HIMSELF  HAS  UNITED  YOU  TO  HIM. 


49 


Father  of  Jesus  Christ ! How  it  would  quicken  the 
sense  of  dependence,  and  make  me  see  that  praying 
without  ceasing  is  indeed  the  one  need  of  my  life, — 
an  unceasing  waiting,  moment  by  moment,  on  the 
God  who  hath  united  me  to  Christ,  to  perfect  His 
own  Divine  work,  to  work  in  me  both  to  will  and 
to  do  of  His  good  pleasure. 

And  what  a motive  this  would  be  for  the  highest 
activity  in  the  maintenance  of  a fruitful  branch-life  ! 
Motives  are  mighty  powers  ; it  is  of  infinite  import- 
ance to  have  them  high  and  clear.  Here  surely  is 
the  highest : ‘ You  are  God’s  workmanship,  created 
in  Christ  Jesus  unto  good  works  grafted  by  Him 
into  Christ,  unto  the  bringing  forth  of  much  fruit. 
Whatever  God  creates  is  exquisitely  suited  to  its 
end.  He  created  the  sun  to  give  light : how  per- 
fectly it  does  its  work  ! He  created  the  eye  to  see : 
how  beautifully  it  fulfils  its  object ! He  created  the 
new  man  unto  good  works;  how  admirably  it  is 
fitted  for  its  purpose. 

Of  God  I am  in  Christ : created  anew,  made  a 
branch  of  the  Vine,  fitted  for  fruit- bearing.  Would 
God  that  believers  would  cease  looking  most  at 
their  old  nature,  and  complaining  of  their  weakness, 
as  if  God  called  them  to  what  they  were  unfitted 
for  ! Would  that  they  would  belie vingly  and  joy- 
fully accept  the  wondrous  revelation  of  how  God,  in 
uniting  them  to  Christ,  has  made  Himself  chargeable 
for  their  spiritual  growth  and  fruitfulness ! How  all 
sickly  hesitancy  and  sloth  would  disappear,  and  under 
the  infiuence  of  this  might''"  motive — the  faith  in 


50 


A I IDE  IN  cm;  1ST: 


the  faithfulness  of  Him  of  whom  tliey  are  in  Christ 
^ — their  whole  nature  would  rise  to  accept  and 
fulfil  their  glorious  destiny  ! 

0 my  soul ! yield  thyself  to  the  mighty  influence 
of  this  word : ‘ Of  God  ye  are  in  Christ  Jesus.’ 
It  is  the  same  God  OF  whom  Christ  is  made  all 
that  He  is  for  us,  OF  whom  we  also  are  in  Christ, 
and  will  most  surely  be  made  what  we  must  be  to 
Him.  Take  time  to  meditate  and  to  worship,  until 
the  light  that  comes  from  the  throne  of  God  hath 
shone  into  thee,  and  thou  hast  seen  thy  union  to 
Christ  as  indeed  the  work  of  His  almighty  Father. 
Take  time,  day  after  day,  and  let,  in  thy  whole 
religious  life,  with  all  it  has  of  claims  and  duties, 
of  needs  and  wishes,  God  be  everything.  See 
Jesus,  as  He  speaks  to  thee,  ‘ Abide  in  me,’  pointing 
upward  and  saying,  ‘ My  Father  is  the  Husband- 
man. Of  Him  thou  art  in  me,  through  Him  thou 
abidest  in  me,  and  to  Him  and  to  His  glory  shall  be 
the  fruit  thou  bearest.’  And  let  thy  answer  be, 
Amen,  Lord!  So  be  it.  From  eternity  Christ 
and  I were  ordained  for  each  other  ; inseparably  we 
belong  to  each  other:  it  is  God’s  will;  I shall 
abide  in  Christ.  It  is  of  God  I am  in  Clirist 
Jesus. 


AS  YOUli  WISDOM. 


51 


Seventh  Day. 

ABIDE  IN  CHEIST, 

%%  gour  raisiom. 

‘ Of  God  are  ye  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  was  made  unto  us  wisdom 
from  God,  both  righteousness  and  sanctification,  and  redemption.’ 
— 1 CoK.  i.  30  (R.  V.  marg.), 

JESUS  CHEIST  is  not  only  Priest  to  purchase, 
and  King  to  secure,  but  also  Prophet  to  reveal 
to  us  the  salvation  which  God  hath  prepared  for 
them  that  love  Him.  Just  as  at  the  creation  the 
light  was  first  called  into  existence,  that  in  it  all 
God’s  other  works  might  have  their  life  and  beauty, 
so  in  our  text  wisdom  is  mentioned  first  as  the 
treasury  in  which  are  to  be  found  the  three  precious 
gifts  that  follow.  The  life  is  the  light  of  man  ; 
it  is  in  revealing  to  us,  and  making  us  behold  the 
glory  of  God  in  His  own  face,  that  Christ  makes  us 
partakers  of  eternal  life.  It  was  by  the  tree  of 
knowledge  that  sin  came ; it  is  through  the  know- 
ledge that  Christ  gives  that  salvation  comes.  He  is 
made  of  God  unto  us  wisdom.  In  Him  are  hid 
all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge. 

And  of  God  you  are  in  Hwiy  and  have  but  to 
abide  in  Him,  to  be  made  partaker  of  these  treasures 


52 


ABIDE  IN  CllUIST  : 


of  wisdom.  In  Him  you  are,  and  in  Him  the 
wisdom  is ; dwelling  in  Him,  you  dwell  in  the  very 
fountain  of  all  light ; abiding  in  Him,  you  have 
Christ  the  wisdom  of  God  leading  your  whole 
spiritual  life,  and  ready  to  communicate,  in  tlie  form 
of  knowledge,  just  as  mucli  as  is  needful  for  you  to 
know.  Christ  is  made  unto  us  wisdom : ye  are  in 
Christ. 

It  is  this  connection  between  what  Christ  has 
been  made  of  God  to  us,  and  how  we  have  it  only 
as  also  being  in  Him,  that  we  must  learn  to  under- 
stand better.  We  shall  thus  see  that  the  blessings 
prepared  for  us  in  Christ  cannot  be  obtained  as 
special  gifts  in  answer  to  prayer  apart  from  the 
abiding  in  Him.  The  answer  to  each  prayer  must 
come  in  the  closer  union  and  the  deeper  abiding  in 
Him  ; in  Him,  the  unspeakable  gift,  all  other  gifts  are 
treasured  up,  the  gift  of  wisdom  and  knowledge  too. 

How  often  have  you  longed  for  wisdom  and 
spiritual  understanding  that  you  might  hnow  God 
better,  whom  to  know  is  life  eternal ! Abide  in 
Jesus : your  life  in  Him  will  lead  you  to  that 
fellowship  with  God  in  which  the  only  true  know- 
ledge of  God  is  to  be  had.  His  love.  His  power. 
His  infinite  glory  will,  as  you  abide  in  Jesus,  be  so 
revealed  as  it  hath  not  entered  into  the  heart  of 
man  to  conceive.  You  may  not  be  able  to  grasp  it 
with  the  understanding,  or  to  express  it  in  words ; 
but  the  knowledge  which  is  deeper  than  thoughts  or 
words  will  be  given, — the  knowing  of  God  which 
comes  of  being  known  of  Him.  ‘ We  preach  Christ 


AS  YOUR  WISDOM. 


53 


crucified  unto  them  which  are  called,  Christ  the 
power  of  God,  and  the  wisdom  of  God.' 

Or  you  would  fain  count  all  things  but  loss  for 
the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Jesus  Christ  your 
Lord.  Abide  in  Jesus,  and  be  found  in  Him.  You 
shall  know  Him  in  the  power  of  His  resurrection 
and  the  fellowship  of  His  sufferings.  Following 
Him,  you  shall  not  walk  in  darkness,  but  have  the 
light  of  life.  It  is  only  when  God  shines  into  the 
heart,  and  Christ  Jesus  dwells  there,  that  the  light 
of  the  knowledge  of  God  in  the  face  of  Christ  can 
be  seen. 

Or  would  you  understand  His  blessed  work,  as  He 
wrought  it  on  earth,  or  works  it  from  heaven  by  His 
Spirit  ? Would  you  know  how  Christ  can  become 
our  righteousness,  and  our  sanctification,  and  re- 
demption ? It  is  just  as  bringing,  and  revealing, 
and  communicating  these  that  He  is  made  unto  us 
wisdom  from  God.  There  are  a thousand  questions 
that  at  times  come  up,  and  the  attempt  to  answer 
them  becomes  a weariness  and  a burden.  It  is  be- 
cause you  have  forgotten  you  are  in  Christ,  whom 
God  has  made  to  be  your  wisdom.  Let  it  be  your 
first  care  to  abide  in  Him  in  undivided  fervent 
devotion  of  heart ; when  the  heart  and  the  life  are 
right,  rooted  in  Christ,  knowledge  will  come  in  such 
measure  as  Christ’s  own  wisdom  sees  meet.  And 
without  such  abiding  in  Christ  the  knowledge  does 
not  really  profit,  but  is  often  most  hurtful.  The 
soul  satisfies  itself  with  thoughts  which  are  but  the 
forms  and  images  of  truth,  without  receiving  the 


54 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


truth  itself  in  its  power.  God’s  way  is  ever  first  to 
give  us,  even  thougli  it  be  but  as  a seed,  the  thing 
itself,  the  life  and  tlie  power,  and  then  the  knowledge. 
Man  seeks  tlie  knowledge  first,  and  often,  alas  ! never 
gets  beyond  it.  God  gives  us  Christ,  and  in  Him 
hid  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge.  0 let 
us  be  content  to  possess  Christ,  to  dwell  in  Him,  to 
make  Him  our  life,  and  only  in  a deeper  searching 
into  Him,  to  search  and  find  the  knowledge  we 
desire.  Such  knowledge  is  life  indeed. 

Therefore,  believer,  abide  in  Jesus  as  your  wisdom, 
and  expect  from  Him  most  confidently  whatever 
teaching  you  may  need  for  a life  to  the  glory  of  the 
Father.  In  all  that  concerns  your  spiritual  life, 
abide  in  Jesus  as  your  wisdom.  The  life  you  have 
in  Christ  is  a thing  of  infinite  sacredness,  far  too 
high  and  holy  for  you  to  know  how  to  act  it  out. 
It  is  He  alone  who  can  guide  you,  as  by  a secret 
spiritual  instinct,  to  know  what  is  becoming  your 
dignity  as  a child  of  God,  what  will  help  and 
what  will  hinder  your  inner  life,  and  specially 
your  abiding  in  Him.  Do  not  think  of  it  as  a 
mystery  or  a difficulty  you  must  solve.  Whatever 
questions  come  up  as  to  the  possibility  of  abiding 
perfectly  and  uninterruptedly  in  Him,  and  of  really 
obtaining  all  the  blessing  that  comes  from  it,  always 
remember : He  knows,  all  is  perfectly  clear  to  Him, 
and  He  is  my  wisdom.  Just  as  much  as  you  need 
to  know  and  are  capable  of  apprehending,  will  be 
communicated,  if  you  only  trust  Him.  Never  think 
of  the  riches  of  wisdom  and  knowledge  hid  in  Jesus 


AS  YOUR  WISDOM. 


55 


as  treasures  without  a key,  or  of  your  way  as  a path 
without  a light.  Jesus  your  wisdom  is  guiding  you 
in  the  right  way,  even  when  you  do  not  see  it. 

In  all  your  intercourse  with  the  Messed  Word, 
remember  the  same  truth : abide  in  Jesus,  your 
wisdom.  Study  much  to  know  the  written  Word  ; 
but  study  more  to  know  the  living  Word,  in  whom 
you  are  of  God.  Jesus,  the  wisdom  of  God,  is  only 
known  by  a life  of  implicit  confidence  and  obedience. 
The  words  He  speaks  are  spirit  and  life  to  those 
who  live  in  Him,  Therefore,  each  time  you  read,  or 
hear,  or  meditate  upon  the  Word,  be  careful  to  take 
up  your  true  position.  Eealize  first  your  oneness 
with  Him  who  is  the  wisdom  of  God ; know 
yourself  to  be  under  His  direct  and  special  training  ; 
go  to  the  Word  abiding  in  Him,  the  very  foun- 
tain of  Divine  light, — in  His  light  you  shall  see 
light. 

In  all  your  daily  life,  its  ways  and  its  work,  abide 
in  Jesus  as  your  wisdom.  Your  body  and  your 
daily  life  share  in  the  great  salvation : in  Christ, 
the  wisdom  of  God,  provision  has  been  made  for 
their  guidance  too.  Your  body  is  His  temple, 
your  daily  life  the  sphere  for  glorifying  Him : it  is 
to  Him  a matter  of  deep  interest  that  all  your 
earthly  concerns  should  be  guided  aright.  Only 
trust  His  sympathy,  believe  His  love,  and  wait  for 
His  guidance, — it  will  be  given.  Abiding  in  Him, 
the  mind  will  be  calmed  and  freed  from  passion,  the 
judgment  cleared  and  strengthened,  the  light  of 
heaven  will  shine  on  earthly  things,  and  your 


ABIDE  IN  CIIIUST  : 


})rayer  for  wisdom,  like  Solomon’s,  will  be  fulfilled 
above  what  you  ask  or  think. 

And  so,  especially  in  any  worl:  you  do  for  Ood, 
abide  in  Jesus  as  your  wisdom.  ‘ We  are  created  in 
Christ  Jesus  unto  good  works,  which  Cod  hath 
before  ordained  that  we  should  walk  in  them;’  let 
all  fear  or  doubt  lest  we  should  not  know  exactly 
what  these  works  are,  lie  put  far  away.  In  Christ 
we  are  created  for  them : IJe  will  show  us  what 
they  are,  and  how  to  do  them.  Cultivate  the  habit 
of  rejoicing  in  the  assurance  that  the  Divine  wisdom 
is  guiding  you,  even  where  you  do  not  yet  see 
the  way. 

All  that  you  can  wish  to  know  is  perfectly  clear 
to  Him.  As  Man,  as  Mediator,  He  has  access  to  the 
counsels  of  Deity,  to  the  secrets  of  Providence,  in 
your  interest,  and  on  your  behalf.  If  you  will  but 
trust  Him  fully,  and  abide  in  Him  entirely,  you  can 
be  confident  of  having  unerring  guidance. 

Yes,  abide  in  Jesus  as  your  wisdom.  Seek  to 
maintain  the  spirit  of  waiting  and  dependence,  that 
always  seeks  to  learn,  and  will  not  move  but  as  the 
heavenly  light  leads  on.  Withdraw  yourself  from 
all  needless  distraction,  close  your  ears  to  the  voices 
of  the  world,  and  be  as  a docile  learner,  ever  listen- 
ing for  the  heavenly  wisdom  the  Master  has  to 
teach.  Surrender  all  your  own  wisdom  ; seek  a deep 
conviction  of  the  utter  blindness  of  the  natural 
understanding  in  tlie  things  of  God ; and  both  as  to 
what  you  have  to  l)elieve  and  have  to  do,  wait  for 
Jesus  to  teach  and  to  guide.  Eemember  that  the 


AS  YOUR  WISDOM. 


57 


teaching  and  guidance  come  not  from  without : it  is 
by  His  life  in  us  that  the  Divine  wisdom  does  His 
work.  Eetire  frequently  with  Him  into  the  inner 
chamber  of  the  heart,  where  the  gentle  voice  of  the 
Spirit  is  only  heard  if  all  be  still.  Hold  fast  with 
unshaken  confidence,  even  in  the  midst  of  darkness 
and  apparent  desertion.  His  own  assurance  that  He 
is  the  light  and  the  leader  of  His  own.  And  live, 
above  all,  day  by  day  in  the  blessed  truth  that,  as 
He  Himself,  the  living  Christ  Jesus,  is  your  wisdom, 

your  first  and  last  care  must  ever  be  this  alone, to 

abide  in  Him.  Abiding  in  Him,  His  wisdom  will 
come  to  you  as  the  spontaneous  outflowing  of  a life 
rooted  in  Him.  I am,  I abide  in  Christ,  who  was 
made  unto  us  wisdom  from  God;  wisdom  will  be 
given  me. 


58 


ABIDE  IN  ClllUST  : 


Eighth  Day, 

AlUDE  IN  CUEIST, 

?ls  sour  Eiglitcousnfss. 

* Of  God  aTG  ye  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  was  made  unto  us  wisdom 
from  God,  both  uiaiiTEOUSNEss  and  sanctification,  and  redemp- 
tion/— 1 Cor.  i.  30  (R.  Y.  marg.\ 

The  first  of  the  great  blessings  whieh  Christ  our 
wisdom  reveals  to  us  as  prepared  in  Himself, 
is — Eighteousness.  It  is  not  difficult  to  see  why 
this  must  be  first. 

There  can  be  no  real  prosperity  or  progress  in  a 
nation,  a home,  or  a soul,  unless  there  be  peace.  As 
not  even  a machine  can  do  its  work  unless  it  be  in 
rest,  secured  on  a good  foundation,  quietness  and 
assurance  are  indispensable  to  our  moral  and 
spiritual  well-being.  Sin  had  disturbed  all  our  re- 
lations ; we  were  out  of  harmony  with  ourselves, 
with  men,  and  with  God.  The  first  requirement  of 
a salvation  that  should  really  bring  blessedness  to 
us  was  ]^eace.  And  peace  can  only  come  with 
right.  Where  everything  is  as  God  would  have  it, 
in  God’s  order  and  in  liarmony  with  His  will,  there 
alone  can  peace  reign.  Jesus  Christ  came  to  restore 
peace  on  eartli,  and  peace  in  the  soul,  by  restoring 


AS  YOUR  RIGHTEOUSNESS. 


59 


righteousness.  Because  He  is  Melchizedek,  King 
of  Eighteousness,  He  reigns  as  King  of  Salem,  King 
3f  Peace  (Heb.  vii.  2).  He  so  fulfils  the  promise 
luhe  prophets  held  out : ‘ A King  shall  reign  in 
righteousness : and  the  work  of  righteousness  shall 
be  peace,  and  the  eifect  of  righteousness,  cpiietness 
ind  assurance  for  ever’  (Isa.  xxxii.  1,  17).  Christ 
s made  of  God  unto  us  righteousness ; of  God  we 
ire  in  Him  as  our  righteousness ; we  are  made  the 
ighteousness  of  God  in  Him.  Let  us  try  and 
inderstand  what  this  means. 

When  first  the  sinner  is  led  to  trust  in  Christ 
or  salvation,  he,  as  a rule,  looks  more  to  His  work 
han  His  person. 

As  he  looks  at  the  Cross,  and  Christ  suffering 
here,  the  Eighteous  One/or  the  unrighteous,  he  sees 
Q that  atoning  death  the  only  but  sufficient  founda- 
ion  for  his  faith  in  God’s  pardoning  mercy.  The 
ubstitution,  and  the  curse-bearing,  and  the  atone- 
aent  of  Christ  dying  in  the  stead  of  sinners,  are 
/hat  give  him  peace.  And  as  he  understands  how 
he  righteousness  which  Christ  brings  becomes  his 
ery  own,  and  how,  in  the  strength  of  that,  he  is 
ounted  righteous  before  God,  he  feels  that  he  has 
ffiat  he  needs  to  restore  him  to  God’s  favour : 
Being  justified  by  faith,  we  have  peace  with  God.’ 
[e  seeks  to  wear  this  robe  of  righteousness  in  the 
v^er  renewed  faith  in  the  glorious  gift  of  righteous- 
ess  which  has  been  bestowed  upon  him. 

But  as  time  goes  on,  and  he  seeks  to  grow  in  the 
hristian  life,  new  needs  arise.  He  wants  to  under- 


00 


ABIDE  IN  CUBIST  : 


stand  more  fully  how  it  is  that  God  can  thus  justify 
the  ungodly  on  the  strength  of  tlie  riglitcousness  of 
another.  He  finds  the  answer  in  tlie  wonderful 
teaching  of  Scripture  as  to  tlie  true  union  of  tlie 
l)eliever  witli  Christ  as  the  second  Adam.  He  sees 
that  it  is  because  Clirist  liad  made  Himself  one  with 
His  people,  and  they  were  one  with  Him ; that  it 
was  in  perfect  accordance  with  all  law  in  the  king- 
dom of  nature  and  of  heaven,  that  each  member  of 
the  body  should  have  the  full  benefit  of  the  doing 
and  the  suffering  as  of  the  life  of  the  head.  And 
so  he  is  led  to  feel  that  it  can  only  be  in  fully 
realizing  his  personal  union  with  Christ  as  the  head, 
that  he  can  fully  experience  the  power  of  His 
righteousness  to  bring  the  soul  into  the  full  favour 
and  fellowship  of  the  Holy  One.  The  work  of 
Christ  does  not  become  less  precious,  but  the  person 
of  Christ  more  so  ; the  work  leads  up  into  the  very 
heart,  the  love  and  the  life  of  the  God-man. 

And  this  experience  sheds  its  light  again  upoii 
Scripture.  It  leads  him  to  notice,  what  he  had 
scarce  remarked  before,  how  distinctly  the  righteous- 
ness of  God,  as  it  becomes  ours,  is  connected  with 
the  person  of  the  Redeemer.  ' This  is  His  name 
whereby  He  shall  be  called,  J eiiovah  our  righte- 
ousness.’ ‘ In  Jehovah  have  I righteousness  and 
strengtli.’  'Of  God  is  He  made  unto  us  righteousJ 
ness.’  ' 'Hiat  we  might  be  made  the  righteousness 
of  God  IN  Him.’  'That  I maybe  found  in  HBrj 
liaving  tlie  righteousness  of  God.’  He  sees  how| 
inseparable  righteousness  and  life  in  Christ  are  from 


AS  YOUE  KIGHTEOUSNESS. 


61 


;ach  other:  ‘The  righteousness  of  one  conies  upon 
Jl  unto  justification  of  life.’  ‘ They  which  receive 
he  gift  of  righteousness  shall  reign  in  life  by  one, 
fesus  Christ.  And  he  understands  what  deep 
oeaning  there  is  in  the  key-word  of  the  Epistle  to 
he  Eomans:  ‘The  righteous  shall  live  by  faith.’ 
le  is  not^  now  content  with  only  thinking  of  the 
mputed  righteousness  as  his  robe ; but,  putting  on 
esus  Christ,  and  seeking  to  be  wrajiped  up  in,  to  be 
jlothed  upon  with  Himself  and  His  A/c,  he  feels  how 
ompletely  the  righteousness  of  God  is  his,  because 
lie  Lord  our  righteousness  is  his.  Before  he  under- 
tood  this,  he  too  often  felt  it  difficult  to  wear  his 
diite  robe  all  the  day : it  was  as  if  he  specially  had 
1 put  it  on  when  he  came  into  God’s  presence  to 
iiifess  his  sins,  and  seek  new  grace.  But  now  the 
viiig  Christ  Himself  is  his  righteousness, — that 
hrist  who  watches  over,  and  keeps  and  loves  us  as 
IS  own ; It  is  no  longer  an  impossibility  to  walk 
1 ^ the  day  enrobed  in  the  loving  presence  with 
hich  He  covers  His  people. 

Such  an  experience  leads  still  further.  The  life 
id  the  righteousness  are  inseparably  linked,  and 
le  believer  becomes  more  conscious  than  before  of 
righteous  nature  planted  within  him.  The  new 
an  created  in  Christ  Jesus,  is  ‘created  in  righteous- 
iss  and  true  holiness.’  ‘He  that  doeth  righteous- 
!SS  is  righteous,  even  as  He  is  righteous.’  The 
lion  to  Jesus  has  effected  a change  not  only  in  the 
lation  to  God,  but  in  the  personal  state  before 
3d.  And  as  the  intimate  fellowship  to  which  the 


62 


ABIDE  IN  ClllUbT : 


union  has  opened  up  the  way  is  maintained,  the 
growing  renewal  of  the  whole  being  makes  righteous- 
ness to  be  his  very  nature. 

To  a Christian  who  begins  to  see  the  deep 
meaning  of  the  truth,  ‘ He  is  made  to  us  righteous- 
ness,’ it  is  hardly  necessary  to  say.  ‘ Abide  in  Him.’ 
As  long  as  he  only  thought  of  the  righueousness  of  the 
substitute,  and  our  being  counted  judicially  righteous 
for  His  sake,  the  absolute  necessity  of  abiding  in  Him 
was  not  apparent.  But  as  the  glory  of  ‘ J ehovah 
our  righteousness  ’ unfolds  to  the  view,  he  sees  that 
abiding  in  Him  personally  is  the  only  way  to  stand, 
at  all  times,  complete  and  accepted  before  God,  as 
it  is  the  only  way  to  realize  how  the  new  and 
righteous  nature  can  be  strengthened  from  Jesus 
our  Head.  To  the  penitent  sinner  the  chief 
thought  was  the  righteousness  which  comes  through 
Jesus  dying  for  sin ; to  the  intelligent  and  ad- 
vancing believer,  Jesus,  the  Living  One,  through 
whom  the  righteousness  comes,  is  everything, 
because  having  Him  he  has  the  righteousness  too. 

Believer,  abide  in  Christ  as  your  righteousness. 
You  bear  about  with  you  a nature  altogether 
corrupt  and  vile,  ever  seeking  to  rise  up  and 
darken  your  sense  of  acceptance,  and  of  access  to 
unbroken  fellowship  with  the  Father.  Nothing  can 
enable  you  to  dwell  and  walk  in  the  light  of  God, 
without  even  the  shadow  of  a cloud  between,  but 
the  habitual  abiding  in  Christ  as  your  righteousness. 
To  this  you  are  called.  Seek  to  walk  worthy  of 
that  calling.  Yield  yourself  to  the  Holy  Spirit  to 


AS  YOUR  RIGHTEOUSNESS.  63 

reveal  to  you  the  wonderful  grace  that  permits  you 
to  draw  nigh  to  God,  clothed  in  a Divine  righteous- 
ness, Take  time  to  realize  that  the  King^s  own 
robe  has  indeed  been  put  on,  and  that  in  it  you  need 
not  fear  entering  His  presence.  It  is  the  token  that 
you  are  the  man  whom  the  King  delights  to  honour. 
Take  time  to  remember  that  as  much  as  you  need 
it  in  the  palace,  no  less  do  you  req^uire  it  when 
He  sends  you  forth  into  the  world,  where  you 
are  the  King’s  messenger  and  representative.  Live 
your  daily  life  in  the  full  consciousness  of  being 
righteous  in  Gods  sight,  an  object  of  delight  and 
pleasure  in  Christ.  Connect  every  view  you  have 
of  Christ  in  His  other  graces  with  this  first  one  : 

‘ Of  God  He  is  made  to  you  righteousness.’  This 
will  keep  you  in  perfect  peace.  Thus  shall  you 
enter  into,  and  dwell  in,  the  rest  of  God.  So 
shall  your  inmost  being  be  transformed  into  being 
righteous  and  doing  righteousness.  In  your  heart 
ind  life  it  will  become  manifest  where  you  dwell ; 
ibiding  in  Jesus  Christ,  the  Righteous  One,  you 
will  share  His  position.  His  character,  and  His 
jlessedness  : ‘ TIiou  lovest  righteousness,  and  hatest 
niquity:  therefore  God,  thy  God,  hath  anointed 
Lee  with  the  oil  of  gladness  above  thy  fellows.’ 
loy  and  gladness  above  measure  will  be  your 
)ortion. 


G4 


AiilUE  IN  GlliasT  : 


Ninth  Day. 


0- 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST, 


•Ss  uour  ^Sanctification 


‘ Of  God  are  ye  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  was  made  unto  us  wisdom 
from  God,  both  rigliteousness  and  sanctification,  and  redemp- 
tion.’— 1 Con.  i.  30  (K.  V.  marg.). 


AUL,  unto  the  Church  of  God  which  is  at 


J-  Corinth,  to  them  that  are  sanctified  in  Christ 
Jesus,  called  to  be  saints  ; ’ — thus  the  chapter  opens 
in  which  we  are  taught  that  Christ  is  our  sanctifica- 
tion. In  the  Old  Testament,  believers  were  called 
the  righteous  ; in  the  New  Testament  they  are 
called  saints,  the  holy  ones,  sanctified  in  Christ 
Jesus.  Holy  is  higher  than  righteous.^  Holy  in 
God  has  reference  to  His  inmost  being ; righteous, 
to  His  dealings  with  His  creatures.  In  man, 
righteousness  is  but  a stepping-stone  to  holiness. 
It  is  in  this  he  can  approach  most  near  to  the 
perfection  of  God  (comp.  Matt.  v.  48  ; 1 Pet.  i.  16). 
In  the  Old  Testament  righteousness  w^as  found, 
w Idle  holiness  was  only  typified;  in  Jesus  Christ, 

^ * Holiness  may  be  called  spiritual  perfection,  as  righteousness  is  | 
legal  completeness.’- — God's  Way  of  Holiness,  by  H.  Bonar,  D.D.,  i 
p.  148. 


AS  YOUE  SANCTIFICATION.  65 

the  Holy  One,  and  in  His  people,  His  saints  or 
holy  ones,  it  is  first  realized. 

As  in  Scripture,  and  in  our  text,  so  in  personal 
experience  righteousness  precedes  holiness.  When 
first  the  believer  finds  Christ  as  his  righteousness, 
he  has  such  joy  in  the  new-made  discovery  that 
the  study  of  holiness  hardly  has  a place.  But  as 
he  grows,  the  desire  for  holiness  makes  itself  felt, 
and  he  seeks  to  know  what  provision  his  God 
has  made  for  supplying  that  need.  A superficial 
ac(]^uaintance  with  God  s plan  leads  to  the  view 
that  while  justification  is  God’s  work,  by  faith  in 
Christ,  sanctification  is  our  work,  to  be  performed 
under  the  influence  of  the  gratitude  we  feel  for  the 
deliverance  we  have  experienced,  and  by  the  aid  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  But  the  earnest  Christian  soon 
finds  how  little  gratitude  can  supply  the  power. 
When  he  thinks  that  more  prayer  will  bring  it,  he 
finds  that,  indispensable  as  prayer  is,  it  is  not 
enough.  Often  the  believer  struggles  hopelessly 
for  years,  until  he  listens  to  the  teaching  of  the 
Spirit,  as  He  glorifies  Christ  again,  and  reveals 
Christ,  our  sanctification,  to  be  appropriated  by 
faith  alone. 

Christ  is  made  of  God  unto  us  sanctification. 
Holiness  is  the  very  nature  of  God,  and  that  alone 
IS  holy  which  Ood  talces  possession  of  and  fills 
vith  Himself.  God’s  answer  to  the  question.  How 
iinful  man  could  become  holy  ? is,  ‘ Christ,  the 
Soly  One  of  God.’  In  Him,  whom  the  Father 
anctified  and  sent  into  the  world,  God’s  holiness 

E 


06 


ABIDE  IN  CUBIST  : 


was  revealed  incarnate,  and  l)rought  within  reach 
of  man.  ‘ I sanctify  myself  for  them,  that  they 
also  may  be  sanctified  in  truth.’  There  is  no  other 
way  of  onr  becoming  holy,  but  by  becoming 
partakers  of  the  holiness  of  Christ.^  And  there  is 
no  other  way  of  this  taking  place  than  by  our 
personal  spiritual  union  with  Him,  so  that  through 
His  Holy  Spirit  His  holy  life  flows  into  us.  Of 
God  are  ye  in  Christ,  who  is  made  unto  us 
sanctification.  Abiding  by  faith  in  Christ  oui 
sanctification  is  the  simple  secret  of  a holy  life.  The 
measure  of  sanctification  will  depend  on  the  measuie 
of  abiding  in  Him ; as  the  soul  learns  wholly  to 
abide  in  Christ,  the  promise  is  increasingly  fulfilled 
‘ The  very  God  of  peace  sanctify  you  wholly.’ 

To  illustrate  this  relation  between  the  measure 
of  the  abiding  and  the  measure  of  sanctification 
experienced,  let  us  think  of  the  grafting  a tree, 
that  instructive  symbol  of  our  union  to  Jesus. 
The  illustration  is  suggested  by  the  Saviour  s 
words,  ‘ Make  the  tree  good,  and  his  fruit  good. 
I can  graft  a tree  so  that  only  a single  branch 
bears  good  fruit,  while  many  of  the  natural  branches 
remain,  and  bear  their  old  fruit, — a type  of  believers 
in  whom  a small  part  of  the  life  is  sanctified,  but 
in  whom,  from  ignorance  or  other  reasons,  the 
carnal  life  still  in  many  respects  has  full  dominion. 
I can  graft  a tree  so  that  every  branch  is  cut  off, 
and  tlie  whole  tree  becomes  renewed  to  bear  good 
fruit ; and  yet,  unless  I watch  over  the  tendency 
1 See  note  from  Alarshall  On  Sanctification. 


AS  YOUR  SANCTIFICATION. 


67 


of  the  stems  to  give  sprouts,  they  may  again  rise 
and  grow  strong,  and,  robbing  the  new  graft  of  the 
strength  it  needs,  make  it  weak.  Such  are  Christians 
who,  when  apparently  powerfully  converted,  forsake 
all  to  follow  Christ,  and  yet  after  a time,  through 
unwatchfulness,  allow  old  habits  to  regain  their 
power,  and  whose  Christian  life  and  fruit  are  but 
feeble.  But  if  I want  a tree  wholly  made  good,  I 
take  it  when  young,  and,  cutting  the  stem  clean  off 
on  the  ground,  I graft  it  just  where  it  emerges 
from  the  soil.  I watch  over  every  bud  which  the 
old  nature  could  possibly  put  forth,  until  the  flow 
of  sap  from  the  old  roots  into  the  new  stem  is  so 
complete,  that  the  old  life  has,  as  it  were,  been 
entirely  conquered  and  covered  of  the  new.  Here 
I have  a tree  entirely  renewed, — emblem  of  the 
Christian  who  has  learnt  in  entire  consecration  to 
surrender  everything  for  Christ,  and  in  a whole- 
hearted faith  wholly  to  abide  in  Him. 

If,  in  this  last  case,  the  old  tree  Were  a reasonable 
being,  that  could  co-operate  with  the  gardener,  what 
would  his  language  be  to  it  ? Would  it  not  be  this: 
Yield  now  thyself  entirely  to  this  new  nature  witli 
which  I have  invested  thee  ; repress  every  tendency 
of  the  old  nature  to  give  buds  or  sprouts ; let  all 
ohy  sap  and  all  thy  life-powers  rise  up  into  this 
?raft  from  yonder  beautiful  tree,  which  I have  put 
m thee  ; so  shalt  thou  bring  forth  sweet  and  mucli 
ruit.’  And  the  language  of  the  tree  to  the  gardener 
vould  be : ‘ When  thou  graftest  me,  0 spare  not  a 
single  branch ; let  everything  of  the  old  self,  even 


68 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  » 


the  smallest  bud,  be  destroyed,  that  I may  no 
longer  live  in  my  own,  but  in  that  other  life  that 
was  cut  off  and  brought  and  put  upon  me,  that  I 
might  be  wholly  new  and  good/  And,  once  again, 
could  you  afterwards  ask  the  renewed  tree,  as  it 
was  bearing  abundant  fruit,  what  it  could  say  of 
itself,  its  answer  would  be  this : ‘ In  me,  that  is,  in 
my  roots,  there  dwelleth  no  good  thing.  I am  ever 
inclined  to  evil ; the  sap  I collect  from  the  soil  is 
in  its  nature  corrupt,  and  ready  to  show  itself  in 
bearing  evil  fruit.  But  just  where  the  sap  rises 
into  the  sunshine  to  ripen  into  fruit,  the  wise 
gardener  hath  clothed  me  with  a new  life,  through 
which  my  sap  is  purified,  and  all  my  powers  are 
renewed  to  the  bringing  forth  of  good  fruit.  I have 
only  to  abide  in  that  which  I have  received.  He 
cares  for  the  immediate  repression  and  removal  of 
every  bud  which  the  old  nature  still  would  put 
forth.’ 

Christian,  fear  not  to  claim  God’s  promises  to 
make  thee  holy.  Listen  not  to  the  suggestion 
that  the  corruption  of  thy  old  nature  would  render 
holiness  an  impossibility.  In  thy  flesh  dwelleth 
no  good  thing,  and  that  flesh,  though  crucified  with 
Christ,  is  not  yet  dead,  but  will  continually  seek 
to  rise  and  lead  thee  to  evil.  But  the  Father  is  the 
Husbandman.  He  hath  grafted  the  life  of  Christ 
on  thy  life.  That  holy  life  is  mightier  than  thy 
evil  life  ; under  the  watchful  care  of  the  Husband- 
man, that  new  life  can  keep  down  the  workings  of 
the  evil  life  within  thee.  The  evil  nature  is  there, 


AS  YOUR  SANCTIFICATION. 


69 


with  its  unchanged  tendency  to  rise  up  and  show 
itself.  But  the  new  nature  is  there  too, — the  living 
Christ,  thy  sanctification,  is  there, — and  through 
Him  all  thy  powers  can  be  sanctified  as  they  rise 
into  life,  and  be  made  to  bear  fruit  to  the  glory  of 
the  Father. 

And  now,  if  you  would  live  a holy  life,  abide  in 
Christ  your  sanctification.  . Look  upon  Him  as  the 
Holy  One  of  God,  made  man  that  He  might  com- 
municate to  us  the  holiness  of  God.  Listen  when 
Scripture  teaches  that  there  is  within  you  a new 
nature,  a new  man,  created  in  Christ  Jesus  in 
righteousness  and  true  holiness,  Eemember  that 
this  holy  nature  which  is  in  you  is  singularly  fitted 
for  living  a holy  life,  and  performing  all  holy  duties, 
as  much  so  as  the  old  nature  is  for  doing  evil. 
Understand  that  this  holy  nature  within  you  hath 
its  root  and  life  in  Christ  in  heaven,  and  can  only 
grow  and  become  strong  as  the  intercourse  between 
it  and  its  source  is  uninterrupted.  And  above  all, 
believe  most  confidently  that  Jesus  Christ  Himself 
delights  in  maintaining  that  new  nature  within  you, 
and  imparting  to  it  His  own  strength  and  wisdom 
for  its  work.  Let  that  faith  lead  you  daily  to  the 
surrender  of  all  self-confidence,  and  the  confession 
of  the  utter  corruption  of  all  there  is  in  you  by 
nature.  Let  it  fill  you  with  a quiet  and  assured 
3onfidence  that  you  are  indeed  able  to  do  what  the 
Father  expects  of  you  as  His  child,  under  the 
3ovenant  of  His  grace,  because  you  have  Christ 
^^rengthening  you.  Let  it  teach  you  to  lay  yourself 


70 


ADlDli  IN  CI1IJ18T  : 


and  your  services  on  tlie  altar  as  S[)iritual  sacrific(;s, 
lioly  and  acceptable  in  Ilis  sight,  a sweet-smelling 
savour.  Look  not  u})on  a life  of  holiness  as  a strain 
and  an  el'fort,  but  as  the  natural  outgrowth  of  the 
life  of  Christ  within  you.  And  let  ever  again  a 
(][uiet,  hopeful,  gladsome  faitli  hold  itself  assured 
that  all  you  need  for  a holy  life  will  most  assuredly 
be  given  you  out  of  the  holiness  of  Jesus.  Thus  will 
you  understand  and  prove  what  it  is  to  abide  in 
Christ  our  sanctification. 


Note. 

The  thought  that  in  the  personal  holiness  of  our 
Lord  a new  holy  nature  was  formed  to  be  communi- 
cated to  us,  and  that  we  make  use  of  it  by  faith,  is 
the  central  idea  of  Marshall’s  invaluable  work,  The 
Gospel  Mystery  of  Sanctification  : — 

‘ One  great  mystery  is,  that  the  holy  frame  and 
disposition  whereby  our  souls  are  furnished  and 
enabled  for  immediate  practice  of  the  law,  must  be 
obtained  by  receiving  it  out  of  Christ’s  fulness,  as  a 
thing  already  'prepared  and  hr  ought  to  an  existence 
for  us  in  Christ,  and  treasured  up  in  Him  ; and  that, 
as  we  are  justified  by  a righteousness  wrought  out 
in  Christ,  and  imputed  to  us,  so  we  are  sanctified 
by  such  an  lioly  frame  and  qualification  as  are  first 
v)r ought  out  and  completed  in  Christ  for  us,  and  then 
'impaHeAl  to  us.  As  our  natural  corruption  was  pro- 
duced originally  in  the  first  Adam,  and  propagated 


AS  YOUK  SANCTIFICATION. 


71 


from  him  to  us,  so  our  new  nature  and  holiness  is 
first  prod.ueed  in  Christy  and  derived  from  Him  to 
uSy  or,  as  it  werey  propagated.  So  that  we  are  not 
at  all  to  work  together  with  Christ  in  making  or 
producing  that  holy  frame  in  us,  but  only  to  take  it 
to  ourselves,  and  use  it  in  our  holy  practice,  as  made 
ready  to  our  hands.  Thus  we  have  fellowship  with 
Christ,  in  receiving  that  holy  frame  of  spirit  that 
was  originally  in  Him ; for  fellowship  is  where 
several  persons  have  the  same  things  in  common. 
This  mystery  is  so  great,  that  notwithstanding  all 
the  light  of  the  Gospel,  we  commonly  think  that  we 
must  get  an  holy  frame  by  producing  it  anew  in 
ourselves,  and  by  pursuing  it  and  working  it  out  of 
our  own  heart  ’ (see  chap,  iii.).^ 

^ I have  felt  so  strongly  that  the  tencbing  of  Marshall  is  just 
what  the  Church  needs  to  bring  out  clearly  what  the  Scripture  path 
of  holiness  is,  that  I have  prepared  an  abridgment  (all  in  the 
author’s  own  words)  of  his  work.  By  leaving  out  what  was  not  essen- 
tial to  his  argument,  and  shortening  when  he  appeared  diffuse,  I 
hoped  to  bring  his  book  within  reach  of  many  who  miglit  never  read 
the  larger  work.  It  is  published  by  Nisbet  & Co.  under  the  title. 
The  Highivay  of  Holiness.  I cannot  too  earnestly  uige  every 
student  of  theology,  and  of  Scripture,  and  of  the  art  of  holy  living, 
to  make  himself  master  of  the  teaching  of  Marshall’s  third,  fourth,, 
and  twelfth  chapters. 


72 


ABIDE  IN  CIIltlST  : 


Tenth  Day, 


0- 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST, 

gour:  Ertcmption. 


‘Of  God  are  ye  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  was  made  unto  us  wisdom 
from  God,  both  righteousness  and  sanctification,  and  redemp- 
tion.’— 1 Cor.  i.  30  (R.  Y.  marg.). 


EEE  we  have  the  top  of  the  ladder,  reaching 


J—L  into  heaven, — the  blessed  end  to  which  Christ 
and  life  in  Him  is  to  lead.  The  word  redemption, 
though  sometimes  applied  to  our  deliverance  from 
the  guilt  of  sin,  here  refers  to  our  complete  and  final 
deliverance  from  all  its  consequences,  when  the 
liedeemer’s  work  shall  become  fully  manifest,  even 
to  the  redemption  of  the  body  itself  (comp.  Eoni.  viii. 
21-23  ; Eph.  i.  14,  iv.  30).  The  expression  points 
us  to  the  highest  glory  to  be  hoped  for  in  the  future, 
and  therefore  also  to  the  highest  blessing  to  be 
enjoyed  in  the  present  in  Christ.  We  have  seen 
how,  as  a prophet,  Christ  is  our  wisdom,  revealing 
to  us  God  and  His  love,  with  the  nature  and  con- 
ditions of  the  salvation  that  love  has  prepared.  As 
a priest.  He  is  our  righteousness,  restoring  us  to 
right  relations  to  God,  and  securing  us  His  favour 
and  friendship,  As  a king,  He  is  our  sanctification, 


AS  YOUR  REDEMPTIOIT. 


73 


forming  and  guiding  us  into  the  obedience  to  the 
Father’s  holy  will.  As  these  three  offices  work  out 
God’s  one  purpose,  the  grand  consummation  will  be 
reached,  the  complete  deliverance  from  sin  and  all 
its  effects  be  accomplished,  and  ransomed  humanity 
regain  all  that  it  had  ever  lost. 

Christ  is  made  of  God  unto  us  Redemption,  The 
word  invites  us  to  look  upon  Jesus,  not  only  as  He 
lived  on  earth,  teaching  us  by  word  and  example, 
as  He  died,  to  reconcile  us  with  God,  as  He  lives 
again,  a victorious  King,  rising  to  receive  His  crown, 
but  as,  sitting  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  He  takes 
again  the  glory  which  He  had  with  the  Father,  before 
the  world  began,  and  holds  it  there  for  us.  It 
consists  in  this,  that  there  His  human  nature,  yea. 
His  human  body,  freed  from  all  the  consequences  of 
sin  to  which  He  once  had  been  exposed,  is  now 
admitted  to  share  the  Divine  glory.  As  Son  of 
man.  He  dwells  on  the  throne  and  in  the  bosom  of 
the  F ather : the  deliverance  from  what  He  had  to 
suffer  from  sin  is  complete  and  eternal.  The  com- 
plete redemption  is  found  embodied  in  His  own 
person  : what  He  as  man  is  and  has  in  heaven  is 
the  complete  redemption.  He  is  made  of  God  to 
us  redemption. 

We  are  in  Him  as  such.  And  the  more  intelli- 
gently and  believingly  we  abide  in  Him  as  our 
redemption,  the  more  shall  we  experience,  even 
here,  of  ‘ the  powers  of  the  world  to  come.’  As  our 
communion  with  Him  becomes  more  intimate  and 
iutense,  and  we  let  the  Holy  Spirit  reveal  Hii»  to 


74 


ABIDE  IN  CUBIST  : 


US  in  His  heavenly  glory,  the  more  we  realize  how 
the  life  in  us  is  the  life  of  One  who  sits  upon  the 
throne  of  heaven.  We  feel  the  i)Ower  of  an  endless 
life  working  in  us.  AV^e  taste  the  eternal  life.  We 
have  the  foretaste  of  the  eternal  glory. 

The  blessings  flowing  from  abiding  in  Ohrist  as 
our  redemption,  are  great.  Tlie  soul  is  delivered 
from  all  fear  of  death.  There  was  a time  when 
even  the  Saviour  feared  death.  Hut  now  no  longer, 
lie  has  triumphed  over  death  ; even  His  body  has 
entered  into  the  glory.  The  believer  who  abides  in 
Christ  as  his  full  redemption,  realizes  even  now  his 
spiritual  victory  over  death.  It  becomes  to  him  the 
servant  that  removes  the  last  rags  of  the  old  carnal 
vesture,  ere  he  be  clothed  upon  with  the  new  body 
of  glory.  It  carries  the  body  to  the  grave,  to  lie 
there  as  the  seed  whence  the  new  body  will  arise 
the  worthy  companion  of  the  glorified  spirit.  The 
resurrection  of  the  body  is  no  longer  a barren 
doctrine,  but  a living  expectation,  and  even  an 
incipient  experience,  because  the  Spirit  of  Him  that 
raised  Jesus  from  the  dead,  dwells  in  the  body  as 
the  pledge  that  even  our  mortal  bodies  shall  be 
quickened  (Eom.  viii.  11-23).  This  faith  exercises 
its  sanctifying  influence  in  the  willing  surrender  of 
the  sinful  members  of  the  body  to  be  mortified  and 
completely  subjected  to  the  dominion  of  the  Spirit, 
as  jireparation  for  the  time  when  the  frail  body 
shall  be  changed  and  fashioned  like  to  His  glorious 
body. 

This  full  redemption  of  Christ  as  extending  to 


AS  YOUE  EEDEMPTION. 


75 


the  body,  has  a depth  of  meaning  not  easily  ex- 
pressed. It  was  of  man  as  a whole,  soul  and  body, 
that  it  is  said  that  he  was  made  in  the  image  and 
likeness  of  God.  In  the  angels,  God  had  created 
spirits  without  material  bodies ; in  the  creation  of 
tlie  world,  there  was  matter  without  spirit.  Man 
was  to  be  the  highest  specimen  of  Divine  art : the 
combination  in  one  being,  of  matter  and  spirit  in 
perfect  harmony,  as  type  of  the  most  perfect  union 
between  God  and  His  own  creation.  Sin  entered 
in,  and  appeared  to  thwart  the  Divine  plan  : the 
material  obtained  a fearful  supremacy  over  the 
spiritual.  The  Word  was  made  fleshy  the  Divine 
fulness  received  an  embodiment  in  the  humanity  of 
Christ,  that  the  redemption  might  be  a com^^dete 
and  perfect  one  ; that  the  whole  creation,  which  now 
groaneth  and  travaileth  in  pain  together,  might  be 
delivered  from  tlie  bondage  of  corruption  into  the 
liberty  of  the  glory  of  the  children  of  God.  God’s 
purpose  will  not  be  accomplished,  and  Christ’s  glory 
will  not  be  manifested  fully,  until  the  body,  with 
that  whole  of  nature  of  which  it  is  part  and  head,  has 
been  transfigured  by  the  power  of  the  spiritual  life, 
and  made  the  transparent  vesture  for  showing  forth 
the  glory  of  the  Infinite  Spirit.  Then  only  shall 
we  understand:  'Christ  Jesus  is  made  unto  us 
(complete)  redemption.’ 

Meantime  we  are  taught  to  believe  : Of  God  are 
ye  in  Christ,  as  your  redemption.  This  is  not 
meant  as  a revelation,  to  be  left  to  the  future  ; for  the 
full  developinent  of  the  Christian  life,  our  present 


76 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


abiding  in  Christ  must  seek  to  enter  into  and  appro- 
priate it.  We  do  this  as  we  learn  to  triumph  over 
death.  We  do  it  as  we  learn  to  look  upon  Christ 
as  the  Lord  of  our  body,  claiming  its  entire  con- 
secration, securing  even  here,  if  faith  will  claim 
it  (Mark  xvi.  17,  18),  victory  over  the  terrible 
dominion  sin  hath  had  in  the  body.  We  do  this  as 
we  learn  to  look  on  all  nature  as  part  of  the  king- 
dom of  Christ,  destined,  even  though  it  be  through  a 
baptism  of  fire,  to  partake  in  His  redemption.  We 
do  it  as  we  allow  the  powers  of  the  coming  world 
to  possess  us,  and  to  lift  us  up  into  a life  in  the 
heavenly  places,  to  enlarge  our  hearts  and  our  views, 
to  anticipate,  even  here,  the  things  which  have  never 
entered  into  the  heart  of  man  to  conceive. 

Believer,  abide  in  Christ  as  thy  redemption.  Let 
this  be  the  crown  of  thy  Christian  life.  Seek  it  not 
first  or  only,  apart  from  the  knowledge  of  Christ  in 
His  other  relations.  But  seek  it  truly  as  that  to 
which  they  are  meant  to  lead  thee  up.  Abide  in 
Christ  as  thy  redemption.  Nothing  will  fit  thee 
for  this  but  faithfulness  in  the  previous  steps  of 
the  Christian  life.  Abide  in  Him  as  thy  wisdom, 
the  perfect  revelation  of  all  that  God  is  and  has  fc  r 
thee.  Follow,  in  the  daily  ordering  of  the  inner  and 
the  outer  life,  with  meek  docility  His  teaching,  and 
thou  shaft  be  counted  worthy  to  have  secrets  re- 
vealed to  thee  wliich  to  most  disciples  are  a sealed 
book.  The  wisdom  will  lead  thee  into  the  mysteries 
of  complete  redemption.  Abide  in  Him  as  thy  right- 
eousness, and  dwell  clotlied  upon  with  Hiin  in  that 


AS  YOUK  REDEMPTION. 


77 


inner  sanctuary  of  the  Father’s  favour  and  presence 
to  which  His  righteousness  gives  thee  access.  As 
thou  rejoicest  in  thy  reconciliation,  thou  shalt  under- 
stand how  it  includes  all  things,  and  how  they  too 
wait  the  full  redemption  ; ' for  it  pleased  the  Father 
by  Him  to  reconcile  all  things  unto  Himself;  by 
Him,  I say,  whether  they  be  things  on  earth  or 
things  in  heaven.’  And  abide  in  Him  as  thy 
sanctification ; the  experience  of  His  power  to  make 
thee  holy,  spirit  and  soul  and  body,  will  quicken 
thy  faith  in  a holiness  that  shall  not  cease  its  work 
until  the  bells  of  the  horses  and  every  pot  in  Jeru- 
salem shall  be  Holiness  to  the  Lord.  Abide  in  Him 
as  thy  redemption,  and  live,  even  here,  as  the  heir 
of  the  future  glory.  And  as  thou  seekest  to  experi 
ence  in  thyself  to  the  full,  the  power  of  His  saving 
grace,  thy  heart  shall  be  enlarged  to  realize  the 
position  man  has  been  destined  to  occupy  in  the 
universe,  as  having  all  things  made  subject  to  him, 
and  thou  shalt  for  thy  part  be  fitted  to  live  worthy 
of  that  high  and  heavenly  calling. 


78 


ABIDE  IN  CIIUIST  ; 


E'L  E V E N T H Day. 


0 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST, 

Crucifieti  ©ne. 


‘ I am  crucified  with  Christ : nevertheless  I live  ; yet  not  I,  hut 
Cliiist  liveth  in  me.’ — Gal.  ii.  20. 

‘ We  have  been  planted  together  in  the  likeness  of  His  death.’ — 
Rom.  vi.  5, 


AM  crucified  with  Christ : ’ Thus  the  apostle 


expresses  his  assurance  of  his  fellowship  with 
Christ  in  His  sufferings  and  death,  and  his  full 
participation  in  all  the  power  and  the  blessing  of 
that  death.  And  so  really  did  he  mean  what  he 
said,  and  know  that  he  was  now  indeed  dead,  that 
he  adds  : ‘ It  is  no  longer  I that  live,  but  Christ 
that  liveth  in  me.’  How  blessed  must  be  the  ex- 
])erience  of  such  a union  with  the  Lord  Jesus ! 
To  he  able  to  look  upon  His  death  as  mine,  just  as 
really  as  it  was  His, — upon  His  perfect  obedience  to 
God,  His  victory  over  sin,  and  complete  deliverance 
from  its  power,  as  mine ; and  to  realize  that  the 
power  of  that  death  does  by  faith  work  daily  with 
a ])iviue  energy  in  mortifying  the  flesh,  and  renew- 
ing tlie  wliolc  life  into  tlie  perfect  conformity  to 
the  resurrection  life  of  Jesus ! Abiding  in  Jesus, 


THE  CRUCIFIED  ONE. 


79 


the  Crucified  One,  is  the  secret  of  the  growth  of  that 
new  life  which  is  ever  begotten  of  the  death  of 
nature. 

Let  us  try  to  understand  this.  The  suggestive 
expression,  ' Planted  into  the  likeness  of  His  death,’ 
will  teach  us  what  the  abiding  in  the  Crucified  One 
means.  When  a graft  is  united  wdth  the  stock  on 
which  it  is  to  grow,  we  know  that  it  must  be  kept 
fixed,  it  must  abide  in  the  place  where  the  stock 
has  been  cut,  been  wounded,  to  make  an  opening 
to  receive  the  graft.  Ho  graft  without  wounding, — 
the  laying  bare  and  opening  up  of  the  inner  life  of 
the  tree  to  receive  the  stranger  branch.  It  is  only 
through  such  wounding  that  access  can  be  obtained 
to  the  fellowship  of  the  sap  and  the  growth  and  the 
life  of  the  stronger  stem.  '^ven  so  with  Jesus  and 
the  sinner.  Only  when  we  are  planted  into  the 
likeness  of  His  death  shall  we  also  be  in  the  like- 
ness of  His  resurrection,  partakers  of  the  life  and 
the  power  there  are  in  Him.  In  the  death  of  the 
(U'oss  Christ  w^as  wounded,  and  in  His  opened  wounds 
a place  prepared  where  we  might  be  grafted  in. 
And  just  as  one  might  say  to  a graft,  and  does 
practically  say  as  it  is  fixed  in  its  place,  'Abide 
here  in  the  w^ound  of  the  stem,  that  is  now  to  bear 
thee  ; ’ so  to  the  believing  soul  the  message  comes, 
' Abide  in  the  wounds  of  Jesus ; tliere  is  the  place 
of  union,  and  life,  and  growth.  There  thou  shalt 
see  how  His  heart  was  opened  to  receive  thee ; how 
His  flesh  was  rent  that  the  way  might  be  opened 
for  thy  being  made  one  with  Him,  and  having 


80 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


access  to  all  the  blessings  flowing  from  Ilis  iJivine 
nature.’ 

You  have  also  noticed  how  the  graft  has  to  be 
torn  away  from  the  tree  where  it  by  nature  grew, 
and  to  be  cut  into  conformity  to  the  place  prepared 
for  it  in  the  wounded  stem.  Even  so  the  believer 
lias  to  be  made  conformable  to  Christ’s  death, — to 
be  crucified  and  to  die  with  Hiui.  The  wounded 
stem  and  the  wounded  graft  are  cut  to  fit  into  each 
other,  into  each  other’s  likeness.  There  is  a fellow- 
ship between  Christ’s  sufferings  and  thy  sufferings. 
His  experiences  must  become  thine.  The  disposition 
He  manifested  in  choosing  and  bearing  the  cross 
must  be  thine.  Like  Him,  thou  wilt  have  to  give 
full  assent  to  the  righteous  judgment  and  curse  of  a 
holy  God  against  sin.  Like  Him,  thou  hast  to  con- 
sent to  yield  thy  life,  as  laden  with  sin  and  curse,  to 
death,  and  through  it  to  pass  to  the  new  life.  Like 
Him,  thou  shalt  experience  that  it  is  only  through 
the  self-sacrifice  of  Gethsemane  and  Calvary  that  the 
path  is  to  be  found  to  the  joy  and  the  fruit-bearing 
of  the  resurrection  life.  The  more  clear  the  re- 
semblance between  the  wounded  stem  and  the 
wounded  graft,  the  more  exactly  their  w^ounds  fit 
into  each  other,  the  surer  and  the  easier,  and  the 
more  complete  will  be  the  union  and  the  growth. 

It  is  in  Jesus,  the  Crucified  One,  I must  abide. 
1 must  learn  to  look  u])on  the  Cross  as  not  only  an 
atonement  to  God,  but  also  a victory  over  the  devil, 
— not  only  a deliverance  from  the  guilt,  but  also 
from  the  jiower  of  sin.  I must  gaze  on  Him  on  the 
Cross  as  wholly  mine,  offering  Himself  to  receive 


THE  CKUCIFIED  ONE. 


81 


me  into  the  closest  union  and  fellowship,  and  to 
make  me  partaker  of  the  full  power  of  His  death 
to  sin,  and  the  new  life  of  victory  to  which  it  is 
hut  the  gateway.  I must  yield  myself  to  Him  in 
an  undivided  surrender,  with  much  prayer  and 
strong  desire,  imploring  to  be  admitted  into  the  ever 
closer  fellowship  and  conformity  of  His  death,  of  the 
Spirit  in  which  He  died  that  death. 

Let  me  try  and  understand  why  the  Cross  is 
thus  the  place  of  union.  On  the  Cross  the  Son  of  God 
enters  into  the  fullest  union  with  man — enters  into 
the  fullest  experience  of  what  it  says  to  have  become 
a son  of  man,  a member  of  a race  under  the  curse. 
It  is  in  death  that  the  Prince  of  life  conquers  the 
power  of  death ; it  is  in  death  alone  that  He  can 
make  me  partaker  of  that  victory.  The  life  He 
imparts  is  a life  from  the  dead ; each  new  experi- 
ence of  the  power  of  that  life  depends  upon  the 
fellowship  of  the  death.  The  death  and  the  life  are 
inseparable.  All  the  grace  which  Jesus  the  Saving 
One  gives  is  given  only  in  the  path  of  fellowship 
with  Jesus  the  Crucified  One.  Christ  came  and 
took  my  place;  I must  put  myself  in  His  place,, 
and  abide  there.  And  there  is  but  one  place 
which  is  both  His  and  mine, — that  place  is  the 
Cross.  His  in  virtue  of  His  free  choice ; mine 
by  reason  of  the  curse  of  sin.  He  came  there  to 
seek  me ; there  alone  I can  find  Him.  When  He 
found  me  there,  it  was  the  place  of  cursing ; this 
He  experienced,  for  ‘ cursed  is  every  one  that 
i hangeth  on  a tree.’  He  made  it  a place  of  blessing ; 


82 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


this  I experience,  for  Christ  hath  delivered  us  from 
the  curse,  being  made  a curse  for  us.  When  Christ 
comes  in  my  place,  He  remains  what  He  was,  the 
beloved  of  the  Father ; but  in  the  fellowship  with 
me  He  shares  my  curse  and  dies  my  death.  When 
I stand  in  His  place,  which  is  still  always  mine,  I 
am  still  what  I was  by  nature,  the  accursed  one, 
who  deserves  to  die  ; but  as  united  to  Him,  I share 
His  blessing,  and  receive  His  life.  When  He  came 
to  be  one  with  me  He  could  not  avoid  the  Cross, 
for  the  curse  always  points  to  the  Cross  as  its  end 
and  fruit.  And  when  I seek  to  be  one  with  Him, 
I cannot  avoid  the  Cross  either,  for  nowhere  but 
on  the  Cross  are  life  and  deliverance  to  be  found. 
As  inevitably  as  my  curse  pointed  Him  to  the 
Cross  as  the  only  place  where  He  could  be  fully 
united  to  me.  His  blessing  points  me  to  the  Cross 
too  as  the  only  place  where  I can  be  united  to 
Him.  He  took  my  cross  for  His  own ; I must 
take  His  Cross  as  my  own ; I must  be  crucified 
with  Him.  It  is  as  I abide  daily,  deeply  in  Jesus 
the  Crucified  One,  that  I shall  taste  the  sweetness  of 
His  love,  the  power  of  His  life,  the  completeness 
of  His  salvation. 

Beloved  believer  ! it  is  a deep  mystery,  this  of 
the  Cross  of  Christ.  I fear  there  are  many  Chris- 
tians who  are  content  to  look  upon  the  Cross,  with 
Christ  on  it  dying  for  their  sins,  who  have  little 
heart  for  fellowship  with  the  Crucified  One.  They 
hardly  know  that  He  invites  them  to  it.  Or  they 
are  content  to  consider  the  ordinary  alilictions  of 


THE  CRUCIFIED  ONE, 


83 


life,  which  the  children  of  the  world  often  have 
as  much  as  they,  as  their  share  of  Christ's  Cross. 
They  have  no  conception  of  what  it  is  to  be  crucified 
with  Christ,  that  bearing  the  cross  means  likeness 
to  Christ  in  the  principles  which  animated  Him  in 
His  path  of  obedience.  The  entire  surrender  of 
all  self-will,  the  complete  denial  to  the  flesh  of  its 
every  desire  and  pleasure,  the  perfect  separation 
from  the  world  in  all  its  ways  of  thinking  and 
acting,  the  losing  and  hating  of  one's  life,  the  giving 
up  of  self  and  its  interests  for  the  sake  of  others, 

- — this  is  the  disposition  which  marks  him  who 
has  taken  up  Christ's  Cross,  who  seeks  to  say,  ‘ I 
am  crucified  with  Christ;  I abide  in  Christ,  the 
Crucified  One.' 

Wouldest  thou  in  very  deed  please  thy  Lord, 
and  live  in  as  close  fellowship  with  Him  as  His 
grace  could  maintain  thee  in,  0 pray  that  His 
Spirit  lead  thee  into  this  blessed  truth  : this  secret 
of  the  Lord  for  them  that  fear  Him.  We  know 
how  Peter  knew  and  confessed  Christ  as  the  Son 
of  the  living  God  while  the  Cross  was  still  an 
offence  (Matt.  xvi.  16,  17,  21,  23).  The  faith 
that  believes  in  the  blood  that  pardons,  and  the 
life  that  renews,  can  only  reach  its  perfect  growth 
as  it  abides  beneath  the  Cross,  and  in  living  fellow- 
ship with  Him  seeks  for  perfect  conformity  with 
Jesus  the  Crucified. 

0 Jesus,  our  crucified  Eedeemer,  teach  us 
not  only  to  believe  on  Thee,  but  to  abide  in  Thee, 
to  take  Thy  Cross  not  only  as  the  ground  of  our 


84 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


pardon,  but  also  as  the  law  of  our  life.  0 teach  us 
to  love  it  not  only  because  on  it  Thou  didst  bear 
our  curse,  but  because  on  it  we  enter  into  the 
closest  fellowship  with  Thyself,  and  are  crucified 
with  Thee.  And  teach  us,  that  as  we  yield  our- 
selves wholly  to  be  possessed  of  the  Spirit  in  which 
Thou  didst  bear  the  Cross,  we  shall  be  made  par- 
takers of  the  power  and  the  blessing  to  which  the 
Cross  alone  gives  access. 


GOD  HIMSELF  WILL  STABLISH  YOU  IN  HIM.  85 


I WELFTH  Day. 

ABIDE  m CHEIST; 

ffioli  himself  totll  staftltsfj  gou  m ^tm. 

‘ He  which  stablisheth  us  with  you  in  Christ,  is  God.  ’ — 

2 Coe.  i.  21. 

rpHESE  words  of  Paul  teach  us  a much  needed 
and  most  blessed  truth, — that  just  as  our  first 
being  united  with  Christ  was  the  work  of  Divine 
omnipotence,  so  we  may  look  to  the  Father,  too,  for 
being  kept  and  being  fixed  more  firmly  in  Him. 
‘ The  Lord  will  perfect  that  which  concerneth  me  ; ’ 
— this  expression  of  confidence  should  ever  accom- 
pany the  prayer,  ‘ Forsake  not  the  work  of  Thine 
own  hands.’  ■ In  all  his  longings  and  prayers  to 
attain  to  a deeper  and  more  perfect  abiding  in  Christ, 
the  believer  must  hold  fast  his  confidence:  ‘He 
which  hath  begun  a good  work  in  you,  will  p';rform 
it  until  the  day  of  Jesus  Christ.’  There  is  nothing 
that  will  so  help  to  root  and  ground  him  in  Christ 
as  this  faith  ; ‘ He  which  stablisheth  us  in  Christ  is 
God.’ 

How  many  there  are  who  can  witness  that  this 
faith  is  just  what  they  need  ! They  continually 


86 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


mourn  over  the  variableness  of  their  spiritual  life. 
Sometimes  there  are  hours  and  days  of  deep  earnest- 
ness, and  even  of  blessed  experience  of  the  grace  of 
God.  But  how  little  is  needed  to  mar  their  peace, 
to  bring  a cloud  over  the  soul ! And  then,  how 
their  faith  is  shaken  ! All  efforts  to  regain  their 
standing  appear  utterly  fruitless  ; and  neither  solemn 
vows,  nor  watching  and  prayer,  avail  to  restore  to 
them  the  peace  they  for  a while  had  tasted.  Could 
they  but  understand  how  just  their  own  efforts  are 
the  cause  of  their  failure,  because  it  is  God  alone 
who  can  establish  us  in  Christ  Jesus.  They  would 
see  that  just  as  in  justification  they  had  to  cease 
from  their  own  working,  and  to  accept  in  faith  the 
promise  that  God  would  give  them  life  in  Christ,  so 
now,  in  the  matter  of  their  sanctification,  their  first 
need  is  to  cease  from  striving  themselves  to  establish 
the  connection  with  Christ  more  firmly,  and  to  allow 
God  to  do  it  ‘ God  is  faithful,  by  whom  ye  were 
called  unto  the  fellowship  of  His  Son  Jesus  Christ/ 
What  they  need  is  the  simple  faith  that  the  stablish- 
ing  in  Christ,  day  by  day,  is  God^s  work, — a work 
that  He  delights  to  do,  in  spite  of  all  our  weakness 
and  unfaithfulness,  if  we  will  but  trust  Him  for  it. 

To  the  blessedness  of  such  a faith,  and  the  experi- 
ence it  brings,  many  can  testify.  What  peace  and 
rest,  to  know  that  there  is  a Husbandman  who  cares 
for  the  branch,  to  see  that  it  grows  stronger,  and 
that  its  union  with  the  Vine  becomes  more  perfect, 
who  watches  over  every  hindrance  and  danger, 
who  supplies  every  needed  aid  1 What  peace  and 


GOD  HIMSELF  WILL  STABLISH  YOU  IN  HIM.  87 


rest,  fully  and  finally  to  give  up  our  abiding  into 
the  care  of  God,  and  never  have  a wish  or  thought, 
never  to  offer  a prayer  or  engage  in  an  exercise 
connected  with  it,  without  first  having  the  glad 
remembrance  that  what  we  do  is  only  the  manifesta- 
tion of  what  God  is  doing  in  us  ! The  establishing  in 
Christ  is  His  work : He  accomplishes  it  by  stirring 
us  to  watch,  and  wait,  and  work.  But  this  He  can 
do  with  power  only  as  we  cease  interrupting  Him 
by  our  self-working,^ — as  we  accept  in  faith  the 
dependent  posture  which  honours  Him  and  opens 
the  heart  to  let  Him  work.  How  such  a faith  frees 
the  soul  from  care  and  responsibility  ! In  the  midst 
of  the  rush  and  bustle  of  the  world’s  stirring  life, 
amid  the  subtle  and  ceaseless  temptations  of  sin, 
amid  all  the  daily  cares  and  trials  that  so  easily 
distract  and  lead  to  failure,  how  blessed  it  would  be 
to  be  an  established  Christian — always  abiding  in 
Christ ! How  blessed  even  to  have  the  faith  that 
one  can  surely  become  it, — that  the  attainment  is 
within  our  reach ! 

Dear  believer,  the  blessing  is  indeed  within  your 
reach.  He  that  stablisheth  you  with  us  in  Christ 
is  God,  What  I want  you  to  take  in  is  this, — that 
believing  this  promise  will  not  only  give  you  com- 
fort, but  will  be  the  means  of  your  obtaining  your 
desire.  You  know  how  Scripture  teaches  us  that 
in  all  God’s  leadings  of  His  people  faith  has  every- 
where been  the  one  condition  of  the  manifestation 
of  His  power.  Faith  is  the  ceasing  from  all  nature’s 
efforts,  and  all  other  dependence ; faith  is  confessed 


88 


ABIDE  IN  Cl J HIST: 


lielplessness  casting  itself  upon  God’s  promise,  and 
claiming  its  fulfilment ; faith  is  the  j)utting  ourselves 
quietly  into  God’s  hands  for  Him  to  do  llis  work. 
What  you  and  I need  now  is  to  take  time,  until  this 
truth  stands  out  before  us  in  all  its  siaritual  bright- 
ness: It  is  God  Almighty,  God  the  Haithful  and 
Gracious  One,  who  has  undertaken  to  stablish  me  in 
Christ  Jesus. 

Listen  to  what  the  Word  teaches  you: — 'The 
Lord  shall  estaUish  thee  an  holy  people  unto  Him- 
self;’ '0  Lord  God,  stablish  their  heart  unto 
Thee ; ’ ' Thy  God  loved  Israel,  to  estaUish  them  for 
ever  ; ’ ' Thou  wilt  establish  the  heart  of  the  humble;’ 
' Now  to  Him  that  is  of  power  to  establish  you,  be 
glory  for  ever ;’  ' To  the  end  He  may  establish  your 
hearts  unblameable  in  holiness  ; ’ ' The  Lokd  is  faith- 
ful, who  shall  stablish  you  and  keep  you  from  all 
evil ; ’ ' The  God  of  all  grace,  who  hath  called  us  in 
Christ  Jesus,  make  you  perfect,  stablish,  strengthen, 
settle  you.’  Can  you  take  these  words  to  mean 
anything  less  than  that  you  too — however  fitful 
your  spiritual  life  has  hitherto  been,  however  un- 
favourable your  natural  character  or  your  circum- 
stances may  appear — can  be  established  in  Christ 
Jesus, — can  become  an  established  Christian  ? Let 
us  but  take  time  to  listen,  in  simple  childlike  teach- 
ableness, to  these  words  as  the  truth  of  God,  and  the 
confidence  will  come:  As  surely  as  I am  in  Christ, 
I shall  also,  day  by  day,  be  established  in  Him. 

The  lesson  ap])ears  so  simple;  and  yet  the  most 
of  us  take  so  long  to  learn  it.  The  chief  reason  is, 


GOD  HIMSELF  WILL  STABLISH  YOU  IN  HIM.  89 

that  the  grace  the  promise  offers  is  so  large,  so  God- 
like, so  beyond  all  our  thoughts,  that  we  do  not 
take  it  really  to  mean  what  it  says.  The  believer 
who  has  once  come  to  see  and  accept  what  it 
brings,  can  bear  witness  to  the  wonderful  change 
there  comes  over  the  spiritual  life.  Hitherto  he  had 
taken  charge  of  his  own  welfare ; now  he  has  a God 
to  take  charge  of  it.  He  now  knows  himself  to  be 
in  the  school  of  God,  a teacher  who  plans  the  whole 
course  of  study  for  each  of  His  pupils  with  infinite 
wisdom,  and  delights  to  have  them  come  daily  for 
the  lessons  He  has  to  give.  All  he  asks  is  to  feel 
himself  constantly  in  God’s  hands,  and  to  follow  His 
guidance,  neither  lagging  behind  nor  going  before. 
Kemembering  that  it  is  God  who  worketh  both  to 
will  and  to  do,  he  sees  his  only  safety  to  be  in  yielding 
himself  to  God  s working.  He  lays  aside  all  anxiety 
about  his  inner  life  and  its  growth,  because  the 
Father  is  the  Husbandman  under  whose  wise  and 
watchful  care  each  plant  is  well  secured.  He  knows 
that  there  is  the  prospect  of  a most  blessed  life  of 
strength  and  fruitfulness  to  every  one  who  will  take 
God  alone  and  wholly  as  his  hope. 

Believer,  you  cannot  but  admit  that  such  a life 
of  trust  must  be  a most  blessed  one.  You  say,  per- 
haps, that  there  are  times  when  you  do,  with  your 
whole  heart,  consent  to  this  way  of  living,  and  do 
wholly  abandon  the  care  of  your  inner  life  to  your 
Father.  But  somehow  it  does  not  last.  You  forget 
again ; and  instead  of  beginning  each  morning  with 
I the  joyous  transference  of  all  the  needs  and  cares  of 


90 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


your  spiritual  life  to  the  Fathers  charge,  you  again 
feel  anxious,  and  burdened,  and  helpless.  Is  it  not, 
perhaps,  my  brother,  because  you  liave  not  committed 
to  the  Father  s care  this  matter  of  daily  remembering 
to  renew  your  entire  surrender  ? Memory  is  one  of 
the  highest  powers  in  our  nature.  By  it  day  is 
linked  to  day,  the  unity  of  life  through  all  our  years 
is  kept  up,  and  we  know  tliat  we  are  still  ourselves. 
In  the  spiritual  life,  recollection  is  of  infinite  value. 
For  the  sanctifying  of  our  memory,  in  the  service 
of  our  spiritual  life,  God  has  provided  most  beauti- 
fully. The  Holy  Spirit  is  the  remembrancer, 
the  Spirit  of  recollection.  Jesus  said,  ‘ He  shall 
bring  all  things  to  your  remembrance.’  ' He  which 
stablisheth  us  with  you  in  Christ  is  God,  who  hath 
also  sealed  us,  and  given  the  earnest  of  the  Spirit  in 
our  hearts!  It  is  just  for  the  stablishing  that  the 
Holy  Eemembrancer  has  been  given.  God’s  blessed 
promises,  and  your  unceasing  acts  of  faith  and 
surrender  accepting  of  them, — He  will  enable  you 
to  remember  these  each  day.  The  Holy  Spirit  is — 
blessed  be  God — the  memory  of  the  new  man. 

Apply  this  to  the  promise  of  the  text : ‘ He  that 
stablisheth  us  in  Christ  is  God.’  As  you  now,  at 
this  moment,  abandon  all  anxiety  about  your  growth 
and  progress  to  the  God  who  has  undertaken  to 
stablish  you  in  the  Vine,  and  feel  what  a joy  it  is  to 
know  tliat  God  aluiie  has  cliarge,  ask  and  trust  Him 
by  the  Holy  Spirit  ever  to  remind  you  of  this  your 
blessed  relation  to  Him.  He  will  do  it ; and  with 
each  new  morning  your  faith  may  grow  stronger 


GOD  HIMSELF  WILL  STABLISH  YOU  IN  HIM.  9 1 


and  brighter : I have  a God  to  see  that  each  day  I 
become  more  firmly  united  to  Christ. 

And  now,  beloved  fellow-believer,  ‘ the  God  of  all 
grace,  who  hath  called  us  in  Christ  Jesus,  make  you 
perfect,  stallish,  strengthen,  settle  you.’  What  more 
can  you  desire  ? Expect  it  confidently,  ask  it 
fervently.  Count  on  God  to  do  His  work.  And 
learn  in  faith  to  sing  the  song,  the  notes  of  which 
each  new  experience  will  make  deeper  and  sweeter  : 
‘Now  to  Him,  that  is  of  power  to  establish  you,  be 
glory  for  ever.  Amen.’  Yes,  glory  to  God,  who 
has  undertaken  to  establish  us  in  Christ  1 


92 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


Thirteenth  Day. 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST, 

CHticrg  ffioment 

* In  that  day  sing  ye  unto  her,  A vineyard  of  red  wine.  I tne 
Lord  do  keep  it  ; I will  water  it  every  moment : lest  any  hurt  it, 
I will  keep  it  night  and  day.’ — Isa.  xxvii.  2,  3. 

The  vineyard  was  the  symbol  of  the  people  of 
Israel,  in  whose  midst  the  True  Vine  was  to 
stand.  The  branch  is  the  symbol  of  the  individual 
believer,  who  stands  in  the  Vine.  The  song  of  the 
vineyard  is  also  the  song  of  the  Vine  and  its  every 
branch.  The  command  still  goes  forth  to  the 
watchers  of  the  vineyard, — would  that  they  obeyed 
it,  and  sang  till  every  feeble-hearted  believer  had 
learned  and  joined  the  joyful  strain, — ‘ Sing  ye  unto 
her : I,  Jehovah,  do  keep  it  ; I will  water  it  evenj 
moment : lest  any  hurt  it,  I will  keep  it  night  and 
day/ 

What  an  answer  from  the  mouth  of  God  Him- 
self to  the  question  so  often  asked ; Is  it  possible 
for  the  believer  always  to  abide  in  J esus  ? Is  a 
life  of  unbroken  fellowship  with  the  Son  of  God 
indeed  attainable  here  in  this  earthly  life  ? Truly 
not,  if  the  abiding  is  our  work,  to  be  done  in  our 


EVERY  MOMENT. 


93 


strength.  But  the  things  that  are  impossible  with 
men  are  possible  with  God.  If  the  Lord  Himself 
will  keep  the  soul  niglit  and  day,  yea,  will  watch 
and  water  it  every  moment,  then  surely  the  un- 
interrupted communion  with  Jesus  becomes  a 
blessed  possibility  to  those  who  can  trust  God  to 
mean  and  to  do  what  He  says.  Then  surely  the 
abiding  of  the  branch  of  the  vine  day  and  night, 
summer  and  winter,  in  a never-ceasing  life-fellow- 
ship, is  nothing  less  than  the  simple  but  certain 
promise  of  your  abiding  in  your  Lord. 

In  one  sense,  it  is  true,  there  is  no  believer  who 
ioes  not  always  abide  in  Jesus;  without  this  there 
•;ould  not  be  true  life.  ‘ If  a man  abide  not  in  me, 
re  is  cast  forth.’  But  when  the  Saviour  gives  tbe 
ijommand,  ‘ Abide  in  me,’  with  the  promise,  ‘ He  that 
ibideth  in  me  bringeth  forth  much  fruit,’  He  speaks 
J that  willing,  intelligent,  and  whole-hearted  sur- 
ender  by  which  we  accept  His  offer,  and  consent 

0 the  abiding  in  Him  as  the  only  life  we  choose 
“^r  seek.  Ihe  objections  raised  against  our  right  to 
xpect  that  we  shall  always  be  able  thus  voluntarily 
nd  consciously  to  abide  in  Jesus  are  chiefly  two. 

The  one  is  derived  from  the  nature  of  man.  It 

1 said  that  our  limited  powers  prevent  our  being 
R..cupied  with  two  things  at  the  same  moment. 

^ od  s providence  places  many  Christians  in  busi- 
|ess,  where  for  hours  at  a time  the  closest  attention 
I required  to  the  work  they  have  to  do.  How  can 
itch  a man,  it  is  asked,  with  his  whole  mind  in 
pe  work  he  has  to  do,  be  at  the  same  time  occupied 


94 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


with  Christ,  and  keeping  up  fellowship  with  Him  ? 
The  consciousness  of  abiding  in  Jesus  is  regarded 
as  requiring  such  a strain,  and  such  a direct  occupa- 
tion of  the  mind  witli  heavenly  thoughts,  that  to 
enjoy  the  blessing  would  imply  a withdrawing  of 
oneself  from  all  the  ordinary  avocations  of  life. 
This  is  the  same  error  as  drove  the  first  monks  into 
the  wilderness. 

Blessed  be  God,  there  is  no  necessity  for  such  a 
going  out  of  the  world.  Abiding  in  Jesus  is  not 
a work  that  needs  each  moment  the  mind  to  be 
engaged,  or  the  affections  to  be  directly  and  actively 
occupied  with  it.  It  is  an  entrusting  of  oneself 
to  the  keeping  of  the  Eternal  Love,  in  the  faith  that 
it  will  abide  near  us,  and  with  its  holy  presence 
watch  over  us  and  ward  off  the  evil,  even  when  we 
have  to  be  most  intently  occupied  with  other 
things.  And  so  the  heart  has  rest  and  peace  and 
joy  in  the  consciousness  of  being  kept  when  it 
cannot  keep  itself. 

In  ordinary  life,  we  have  abundant  illustration  of 
the  influence  of  a supreme  affection  reigning  in  and 
guarding  the  soul,  while  the  mind  concentrates 
itself  on  work  that  requires  its  whole  attention. 
Think  of  the  father  of  a family,  separated  for  a 
time  from  his  home,  that  he  may  secure  for  his 
loved  ones  what  they  need.  He  loves  his  wife  and 
children,  and  longs  much  to  return  to  them.  There 
may  be  hours  of  intense  occupation  when  he  has 
not  a moment  to  think  of  them,  and  yet  his  love  is 
as  deep  and  real  as  when  he  can  call  up  their 


EVEKY  MOMENT, 


95 


images;  all  the  while  his  love  and  the  hope  of 
making  them  happy  urge  him  on,  and  fill  him 
with  a secret  joy  in  his  work.  Think  of  a king  : 
in  the  midst  of  work,  and  pleasure,  and  trial,  he  all 
the  while  acts  under  the  secret  infiuence  of  the 
consciousness  of  royalty,  even  while  he  does  not 
think  of  it.  A loving  wife  and  mother  never  for 
one  moment  loses  the  sense  of  her  relation  to  the 
husband  and  children  : the  consciousness  and  the 
love  are  there,  amid  all  her  engagements.  And 
shall  it  be  thought  impossible  for  the  Everlasting 
Love  so  to  take  and  keep  possession  of  our  spirits, 
that  we  too  shall  never  for  a moment  lose  the  secret 
consciousness : We  are  in  Christ,  kept  in  Him  by 
His  almighty  power.  Oh,  it  is  possible ; we  can 
be  sure  it  is.  Our  abiding  in  Jesus  is  even  more 
than  a fellowship  of  love, — it  is  a fellowship  of  life. 
In  work  or  in  rest,  the  consciousness  of  life  never 
leaves  us.  And  even  so  can  the  mighty  power  of 
the  Eternal  Life  maintain  within  us  the  consciousness 
of  its  presence.  Or  rather,  Christ,  who  is  our  life, 
Himself  dwells  within  us,  and  by  His  presence 
maintains  our  consciousness  that  we  are  in  Him. 

The  second  objection  has  reference  to  our  sinful- 
ness. Christians  are  so  accustomed  to  look  upon 
sinning  daily  as  something  absolutely  inevitable, 
that  they  regard  it  as  a matter  of  course  that  no 
one  can  keep  up  abiding  fellowship  with  the 
Saviour : we  must  sometimes  be  unfaithful  and  fail. 
As  if  it  was  not  just  because  we  have  a nature 
which  is  naught  but  a very  fountain  of  sin,  that  the 


90 


AIJIDE  IN  CHRIST: 


abiding  in  Christ  has  been  ordained  for  us  as  our 
only  but  our  sullicient  deliverance ! As  if  it  were 
not  the  Heavenly  Vine,  the  living,  loving  Clirist, 
ill  whom  we  have  to  abide,  and  whose  almighty 
power  to  hold  us  fast  is  to  be  tlie  measure  of  our 
expectations  ! As  if  He  would  give  us  the  command, 
‘ Abide  in  me,’  witliout  securing  the  grace  and  the 
power  to  enable  us  to  perform  it ! As  if,  above  all, 
we  had  not  the  Father  as  the  Husbandman  to  keep 
us  from  falling,  and  that  not  in  a large  and  general 
sense,  but  according  to  His  own  precious  promise : 
‘ Night  and  day,  every  moment  ’ / Oh,  if  we  will 
but  look  to  our  God  as  the  Keeper  of  Israel,  of 
whom  it  is  said,  ' Jehovah  shall  keep  thee  from  all 
evil ; He  shall  keep  thy  soul,’  we  shall  learn  to 
believe  that  conscious  abiding  in  Christ  every 
moment,  night  and  day,  is  indeed  what  God  has 
prepared  for  them  that  love  Him. 

My  beloved  fellow-Christians,  let  nothing  less 
than  this  be  your  aim.  I know  well  that  you  may 
not  find  it  easy  of  attainment ; that  there  may 
come  more  than  one  hour  of  weary  struggle  and 
bitter  failure.  Were  the  Church  of  Christ  what  it 
should  be, — were  older  believers  to  younger  con- 
verts what  they  should  be,  witnesses  to  God’s 
faitlifulness,  like  Caleb  and  Joshua,  encouraging 
their  brethren  to  go  up  and  possess  the  land  with 
their,  ‘ We  are  well  able  to  overcome  ; if  the  Lord 
deliglit  in  us,  tlien  He  will  bring  us  into  this  land,’ 
— were  tlie  atmos])liere  wliich  tlie  young  believer 
breathes  as  he  enters  the  fellowship  of  the  saints 


EVERY  MOMENT. 


97 


that  of  a healthy,  trustful,  joyful  consecration, 
abiding  in  Christ  would  come  as  the  natural  out- 
growth of  being  in  Him.  But  in  the  sickly  state 
in  which  such  a great  part  of  the  body  is,  souls 
that  are  pressing  after  this  blessing  are  sorely 
hindered  by  the  depressing  influence  of  the  thought 
and  the  life  around  them.  It  is  not  to  discourage 
that  I say  this,  but  to  warn,  and  to  urge  to  a more 
entire  casting  of  ourselves  upon  the  word  of  God 
Himself.  There  may  come  more  than  one  hour  in 
which  thou  art  ready  to  yield  to  despair;  but  be 
of  good  courage.  Only  believe.  He  who  has  put 
the  blessing  within  thy  reach  will  assuredly  lead  to 
its  possession. 

The  way  in  which  souls  enter  into  the  possession 
may  differ.  To  some  it  may  come  as  the  gift  of 
a moment.  In  times  of  revival,  in  the  fellowship 
with  other  believers  in  whom  the  Spirit  is  working 
effectually,  under  the  leading  of  some  servant  of 
God  who  can  guide,  and  sometimes  in  solitude  too, 
it  is  as  if  all  at  once  a new  revelation  comes  upon 
the  soul.  It  sees,  as  in  the  light  of  heaven,  the 
strong  Vine  holding  and  bearing  the  feeble  branches 
so  securely,  that  doubt  becomes  impossible.  It 
can  only  wonder  how  it  ever  could  have  understood 
the  words  to  mean  aught  else  than  this  : To  abide 
unceasingly  in  Christ  is  the  portion  of  every 
believer.  It  sees  it ; and  to  believe,  and  rejoice, 
and  love,  come  as  of  itself. 

To  others  it  comes  by  a slower  and  more  difficult 
path.  Hay  by  day,  amid  discouragement  and 

G 


98 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST : 


difficulty,  the  soul  has  to  press  forward.  Be  of 
good  cheer ; this  way  too  leads  to  the  rest.  Seek 
but  to  keep  thy  heart  set  upon  the  promise : ‘ I the 
Lord  do  keep  it,  night  and  day.*  Take  from  His 
own  lips  the  watchword  : ‘ Every  moment!  In  that 
thou  hast  the  law  of  His  love,  and  the  law  of  thy 
hope.  Be  content  with  nothing  less.  Think  no 
longer  that  the  duties  and  the  cares,  that  the 
sorrows  and  the  sins  of  this  life  must  succeed  in 
hindering  the  abiding  life  of  fellowship.  Take 
rather  for  the  rule  of  thy  daily  experience  the 
language  of  faith  : I am  persuaded  that  neither 
death  with  its  fears,  nor  life  with  its  cares,  nor 
things  present  with  their  pressing  claims,  nor 
things  to  come  with  their  dark  shadows,  nor  height 
of  joy,  nor  depth  of  sorrow,  nor  any  other  creature, 
shall  be  able,  for  one  single  moment,  to  separate  us 
from  the  love  of  God  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our 
Lord,  and  in  which  He  is  teaching  me  to  abide. 
If  things  look  dark  and  faith  would  fail,  sing  again 
the  song  of  the  vineyard : ' I the  Lord  do  keep  it ; 
I will  water  it  every  moment : lest  any  hurt  it,  I 
will  keep  it  night  and  day.’  And  be  assured  that, 
if  Jehovah  keep  the  branch  night  and  day,  and 
water  it  every  moment,  a life  of  continuous  and 
unbroken  fellowship  with  Christ  is  indeed  our 
privilege. 


DAY  BY  DAY. 


99 


Fourteenth  Day. 


ABIDE  m CHEIST, 

©ag  bg  ©ag. 

And  the  people  shall  go  out  and  gather  the  portion  of  a day  in 
his  day.’— Ex.  xvi.  4 (marg.). 

day  s poftion  in  its  day : Such  was  the  rule 
for  God’s  giving  and  man’s  working  in  the 
ingathering  of  the  manna.  It  is  still  the  law  in  all 
the  dealings  of  God’s  grace  with  His  children.  A 
clear  insight  into  the  heauty  and  application  of  this 
arrangement  is  a wonderful  help  in  understanding 
how  one,  who  feels  himself  utterly  weak,  can 
have  the  confidence  and  the  perseverance  to  hold 
on  brightly  through  all  the  years  of  his  earthly 
course.  A doctor  was  once  asked  by  a patient  who 
had  met  with  a serious  accident : ‘ Doctor,  how  long 
shall  I have  to  lie  here  ? ’ The  answer,  ‘ Only  a day 
at  a time,  taught  the  patient  a precious  lesson. 
It  was  the  same  lesson  God  had  recorded  for  His 
people  of  all  ages  long  before ; The  day’s  portion 
in  its  day. 

It  was,  without  doubt,  with  a view  to  this, 
ind  to  meet  man  s weakness,  that  God  graciously 


100 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST: 


appointed  the  change  of  day  and  night.  If  time 
had  been  given  to  man  in  the  form  of  one  long 
unbroken  day,  it  would  have  exhausted  and  over- 
whelmed him ; the  change  of  day  and  night  con- 
tinually recruits  and  recreates  his  powers.  As  a 
child,  who  easily  makes  himself  master  of  a book, 
when  each  day  only  the  lesson  for  the  day  is  given 
him,  would  be  utterly  hopeless  if  the  whole  book 
were  given  him  at  once  ; so  it  would  be  with  man, 
if  there  were  no  divisions  in  time.  Broken  small 
and  divided  into  fi’agments,  he  can  bear  them ; only 
the  care  and  the  work  of  each  day  have  to  be 
undertaken, — the  day’s  portion  in  its  day.  The  rest 
of  the  night  fits  him  for  making  a fresh  start  with 
each  new  morning ; the  mistakes  of  the  past  can  be 
avoided,  its  lessons  improved.  And  he  has  only 
each  day  to  be  faithful  for  the  one  short  day,  and 
long  years  and  a long  life  take  care  of  themselves, 
without  the  sense  of  their  length  or  their  weight 
ever  being  a burden.  ^ 

Most  sweet  is  the  encouragement  to  be  derived 
from  this  truth  in  the  life  of  grace.  Many  a soul 
is  disquieted  with  the  thought  as  to  how  it  will  be 
able  to  gather  and  to  keep  the  manna  needed  for  all 
its  years  of  travel  through  such  a barren  wilder- 
ness. It  has  never  learnt  what  unspeakable  comfort 
there  is  in  the  word : The  day’s  portion  for  its  day. 
That  word  takes  away  all  care  for  the  morrow  most 
completely.  Only  to-day  is  thine;  to-morrow  is 
the  Father’s.  The  question:  What  security  thou 
hast  that  during  all  the  years  in  which  thou  hast  to 


DAY  BY  DAY. 


101 


contend  with  the  coldness,  or  temptations,  or  trials 
of  the  world,  thou  wilt  always  abide  in  Jesus  ? is  one 
thou  needest,  yea,  thou  mayest  not  ask.  Manna,  as 
thy  food  and  strength,  is  given  only  by  the  day ; 
faithfully  to  fill  the  present  is  thy  omy  security  for 
the  future.  Accept,  and  enjoy,  and  fulfil  with  thy 
whole  heart  the  part  thou  hast  this  day  to  perform. 
His  presence  and  grace  enjoyed  to-day  will  remove 
all  doubt  whether  thou  canst  entrust  the  morrow  to 
Him  too. 

How  great  the  value  which  this  truth  teaches  us 
to  attach  to  each  single  day  ! We  are  so  easily  led 
to  look  at  life  as  a great  whole,  and  to  neglect  the 
little  to  - day,  to  forget  that  the  single  days  do 
indeed  make  up  the  whole,  and  that  the  value  of 
each  single  day  depends  on  its  influence  on  the 
whole.  One  day  lost  is  a link  broken  in  the  chain, 
which  it  often  takes  more  than  another  day  to 
mend.  One  day  lost  influences  the  next,  and 
makes  its  keeping  more  difficult.  Yea,  one  day 
lost  may  be  the  loss  of  what  months  or  years  of 
careful  labour  had  secured.  The  experience  of 
many  a believer  could  confirm  this. 

Believer ! would  you  abide  in  Jesus,  let  it  be 
day  by  day.  You  have  already  heard  the  message. 
Moment  by  moment ; the  lesson  of  day  by  day  has 
something  more  to  teach.  Of  the  moments  there 
are  many  where  there  is  no  direct  exercise  of  the 
mind  on  your  part;  the  abiding  is  in  the  deeper 
recesses  of  the  heart,  kept  by  the  Father,  to  whom 
you  entrusted  yourself.  But  just  this  is  the  work 


L02 


aiudp:  in  chuist: 


that  with  each  new  day  lias  to  be  renewed  for  the 
day, — the  distinct  renewal  of  surrender  and  trust 
for  the  life  of  moment  by  moment.  God  has 
gathered  up  the  moments  and  bound  them  up  into 
a bundle,  for  the  very  purpose  that  we  might  take 
measure  of  them.  As  we  look  forward  in  the 
morning,  or  look  back  in  the  evening,  and  weigh 
the  moments,  we  learn  how  to  value  and  how  to  use 
them  rightly.  And  even  as  the  Father,  with  each 
new  morning,  meets  you  with  the  promise  of  just 
sufficient  manna  for  the  day  for  yourself  and  those 
who  have  to  partake  with  you,  meet  Him  with  the 
bright  and  loving  renewal  of  your  acceptance  of  the 
position  He  has  given  you  in  His  beloved  Son. 
Accustom  yourself  to  look  upon  this  as  one  of  the 
reasons  for  the  appointment  of  day  and  night.  God 
thought  of  our  weakness,  and  sought  to  provide  for 
it.  Let  each  day  have  its  value  from  your  calling 
to  abide  in  Christ.  As  its  light  opens  on  your 
waking  eyes,  accept  it  on  these  terms : A day,  just 
one  day  only,  but  still  a day,  given  to  abide  and 
grow  up  in  Jesus  Christ.  Whether  it  be  a day  of 
health  or  sickness,  joy  or  sorrow,  rest  or  work,  of 
struggle  or  victory,  let  the  chief  thought  with  which 
you  receive  it  in  the  morning  thanksgiving  be  this : 
' A day  that  the  Father  gave ; in  it  I may,  I must 
become  more  closely  united  to  Jesus.'  As  the 
Father  asks,  ' Can  you  trust  me  just  for  this  one 
day  to  keep  you  abiding  in  Jesus,  and  Jesus  to 
keep  you  fruitful  ? ' you  cannot  but  give  the  joyful 
response  ; ‘ I will  trust  and  not  be  afraid.' 


DAY  BY  DAY. 


103 


The  day’s  portion  for  its  day  was  given  to  Israel 
in  the  morning  very  early.  The  portion  was  for 
use  and  nourishment  during  the  whole  day,  but  the 
giving  and  the  getting  of  it  was  the  morning’s  work. 
This  suggests  how  greatly  the  power  to  spend  a day 
aright,  to  abide  all  the  day  in  Jesus,  depends  on  the 
morning  hour.  If  the  first-fruits  be  holy,  the  lump 
is  holy.  During  the  day  there  come  hours  of 
intense  occupation  in  the  rush  of  business  or  the 
throng  of  men,  when  only  the  Father’s  keeping  can 
maintain  the  connection  with  J esus*  unbroken.  The 
morning  manna  fed  all  the  day ; it  is  only  when 
the  believer  in  the  morning  secures  his  quiet  time 
in  secret  to  distinctly  and  effectually  renew  loving 
fellowship  with  his  Saviour,  that  the  abiding  can  be 
kept  up  all  the  day.  But  what  cause  for  thanks- 
giving that  it  may  be  done  ! In  the  morning,  with 
its  freshness  and  quiet,  the  believer  can  look  out 
upon  the  day.  He  can  consider  its  duties  and  its 
temptations,  and  pass  them  through  beforehand,  as 
it  were,  with  his  Saviour,  throwing  all  upon  Him 
who  has  undertaken  to  be  everything  to  him. 
Christ  is  his  manna,  his  nourishment,  his  strength, 
his  life : he  can  take  the  day’s  portion  for  the  day, 
Christ  as  his  for  all  the  needs  the  day  may  bring, 
and  go  on  in  the  assurance  that  the  day  will  be  on© 
of  blessing  and  of  growth. 

And  then,  as  the  lesson  of  the  value  and  the 
work  of  the  single  day  is  being  taken  to  heart,  the 
learner  is  all  unconscmusly  being  led  on  to  get  the 
secret  of  'day  by  day  continually’  (Ex.  xxix.  38). 


104 


ABIDE  IN  CIIiaST  : 


Tlie  blessed  abiding  grasped  by  faith  for  each  day 
apart  is  an  unceasing  and  ever-increasing  growth. 
Each  day  of  faithfulness  brings  a blessing  for  the 
next ; makes  both  the  trust  and  the  surrender  easier 
and  more  blessed.  And  so  the  Christian  life  grows  : 
as  we  give  our  whole  heart  to  the  work  of  each  day, 
it  becomes  all  the  day,  and  from  that  every  day. 
And  so  each  day  separately,  all  the  day  continually, 
day  by  day  successively,  we  abide  in  Jesus.  And 
the  days  make  up  the  life : what  once  appeared  too 
high  and  too  great  to  attain,  is  given  to  the  soul 
that  was  content  to  take  and  use  ' every  day  his 
portion  ’ (Ezra  iii.  4),  ‘ as  the  duty  of  every  day 
required.’  Even  here  on  earth  the  voice  is  heard: 
‘ Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant,  thou  hast 
been  faithful  over  few,  I will  make  thee  ruler  over 
many : enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord.’  Our 
daily  life  becomes  a wonderful  interchange  of  God’s 
daily  grace  and  our  daily  praise : ‘ Daily  He  loadeth 
us  with  His  benefits;’  'that  I may  daily  perform 
my  vows.’  We  learn  to  understand  God’s  reason 
for  daily  giving,  as  He  most  certainly  gives,  only 
enough,  but  also  fully  enough,  for  each  day.  And 
we  get  into  His  way,  the  way  of  daily  asking 
and  expecting  only  enough,  but  most  certainly  fully 
enough,  for  the  day.  We  begin  to  number  our  days 
not  from  the  sun’s  rising  over  the  world,  nor  by  the 
work  we  do  or  the  food  we  eat,  but  by  the  daily 
renewal  of  the  miracle  of  the  manna, — the  blessed- 
ness of  daily  fellowship  with  him  who  is  the  Life 
and  the  Light  of  the  world.  The  heavenly  life  is 


DAY  BY  DAY. 


105 


as  unbroken  and  continuous  as  the  earthly ; tlie 
abiding  in  Christ  each  day  has  for  that  day  brought 
its  blessing ; we  abide  in  Him  every  day,  and  all 
the  day.  Lord,  make  this  the  portion  of  each  one 
of  us. 


106 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST: 


Fifteenth  Day. 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST, 

Sit  ttjis  Jloment. 


‘ Behold,  NOW  is  the  accepted  time  ; behold,  now  is  the  day  of 


salvation.’ — 2 Cor.  vi.  2. 


IHE  thought  of  living  moment  by  moment  is 


of  such  central  importance — looking  at  the 
abiding  in  Christ  from  our  side — that  we  want  once 
more  to  speak  of  it.  And  to  all  who  desire  to 
learn  the  blessed  art  of  living  only  a moment  at  a 
time,  we  want  to  say,  The  way  to  learn  it  is  to 
exercise  yourself  in  living  in  the  present  moment. 
Each  time  your  attention  is  free  to  occupy  itself 
with  the  thought  of  Jesus, — whether  it  be  with  time 
to  think  and  pray,  or  only  for  a few  passing  seconds, 
— let  your  first  thought  be  to  say,  Now,  at  this 
moment,  I do  abide  in  Jesus.  Use  such  time,  not 
in  vain  regrets  that  you  have  not  been  abiding  fully, 
or  still  more  hurtful  fears  that  you  will  not  be  able 
to  abide,  but  just  at  once  take  the  position  the 
Father  has  given  you : ‘ I am  in  Christ ; this  is  the 
place  God  lias  given  me.  I accept  it;  here  I rest; 
I do  now  abide  in  Jesus/  This  is  the  way  to  learn 


AT  THIS  MOMENT. 


107 


to  abide  continually.  Ton  may  be  yet  so  feeble  as 
to  fear  to  say  of  each  day,  ‘ I am  abiding  in  Jesus  ; ’ 
but  the  feeblest  can,  each  single  moment,  say,  as  he 
consents  to  occupy  his  place  as  a branch  in  the 
vine,  ‘ Yes,  I do  abide  in  Christ.’  It  is  not  a matter 
of  feeling,  it  is  not  a question  of  growth  or 
strength  in  the  Christian  life, — it  is  the  simple 
question  whether  the  will  at  the  present  moment 
desires  and  consents  to  recognise  the  place  you 
have  in  your  Lord,  and  to  accept  of  it.  If  you 
are  a believer,  you  are  in  Christ.  If  you  are 
in  Christ,  and  wish  to  stay  there,  it  is  your 
duty  to  say,  though  it  be  but  for  a moment,  ‘ Blessed 
Saviour,  I abide  in  Thee  now ; Thou  keepest  me 
now.’ 

It  has  been  well  said  that  in  that  little  word 
now  lies  one  of  the  deepest  secrets  of  the  life  of 
faith.  At  the  close  of  a conference  on  the  spiritual 
life,  a minister  of  experience  rose  and  spoke.  He 
did  not  know  that  he  had  learnt  any  truth  he  did 
not  know  before,  but  he  had  learnt  how  to  use 
aright  what  he  had  known.  He  had  learnt  that  it 
was  his  privilege  at  each  moment,  whatever  sur- 
rounding circumstances  might  be,  to  say,  ‘Jesus 
saves  me  now.  This  is  indeed  the  secret  of  rest  and 
victory.  If  I can  say,  ‘ J esus  is  to  me  at  this  moment 
all  that  God  gave  Him  to  be, — life,  and  strength,  and 
peace,’— I have  but  as  I say  it  to  hold  still,  and  rest, 
and  realize  it,  and  for  that  moment  I have  what  I 
need.  As  my  faith  sees  how  of  God  I am  in 
Christ,  and  takes  the  place  ip  Him  my  Father  has 


108 


ABIDE  IN  CIIBIST  : 


provided,  niy  soul  can  peacefully  settle  down  : Now 
I abide  in  Christ. 

Believer ! when  striving  to  find  the  way  to  abide 
in  Christ  from  moment  to  moment,  remember  that  the 
gateway  is : Abide  in  Him  at  this  present  moment. 
Instead  of  wasting  effort  in  trying  to  get  into 
a state  that  will  last,  just  remember  that  it  is 
Christ  Himself,  the  living,  loving  Lord,  who  alone 
can  keep  you,  and  is  waiting  to  do  so.  Begin  at 
once  and  act  faith  in  Him  for  the  present  moment : 
this  is  the  only  way  to  be  kept  the  next.  To 
attain  the  life  of  permanent  and  perfect  abiding  is 
not  ordinarily  given  at  once  as  a possession  for 
the  future : it  comes  mostly  step  by  step.  Avail 
thyself,  therefore,  of  every  opportunity  of  exercising 
the  trust  of  the  present  moment.  Each  time  thou 
bowest  in  prayer,  let  there  first  be  an  act  of  simple 
devotion : ‘ Father,  I am  in  Christ ; I now  abide  in 
Him.’  Each  time  thou  hast,  amidst  the  bustle  of 
duty,  the  opportunity  of  self-recollection,  let  its 
first  involuntary  act  be : ‘ I am  still  in  Christ,  abiding 
in  Him  now.’  Even  when  overtaken  by  sin,  and 
the  heart  within  is  all  disturbed  and  excited,  0 
let  thy  first  look  upwards  be  with  the  word : 
‘Father,  I have  sinned;  and  yet  I come — though  I 
blush  to  say  it — as  one  who  is  in  Christ.  Father ! 
here  I am ; I can  take  no  other  place ; of  God  I 
am  in  Christ ; I now  abide  in  Christ.’  Yes,  Chris- 
tian, in  every  possible  circumstance,  every  moment 
of  the  day,  the  voice  is  calling.  Abide  in  me : do  it 
now.  And  even  now,  as  thou  art  reading  this,  0 


AT  THIS  MOMENT. 


109 


come  at  once,  and  enter  upon  the  blessed  life  of 
always  abiding,  by  doing  it  at  once : do  it  now. 

In  the  life  of  David  there  is  a beautiful  passage 
which  may  help  to  make  this  thought  clearer 
(2  Sam.  iii.  17,  18).  David  had  been  anointed 
king  in  Judah.  The  other  tribes  still  followed 
Ish-bosheth,  Saul’s  son.  Abner,  Saul’s  chief  captain, 
resolves  to  lead  the  tribes  of  Israel  to  submit  to 
David,  the  God-appointed  king  of  the  whole  nation. 
He  speaks  to  the  elders  of  Israel : ‘ Ye  sought  for 
David  in  times  past  to  be  king  over  you ; 7iow,  then, 
do  it,  for  Jehovah  hath  spoken  of  David,  saying.  By 
the  hand  of  my  servant  David  will  I save  my 
people  Israel  out  of  the  hand  of  the  Philistines,  and 
out  of  the  hand  of  all  their  enemies.’  And  they 
did  it,  and  anointed  David  a second  time  to  be 
king,  now  over  all  Israel,  as  at  first  only  over 
Judah  (2  Sam.  v.  3), — a most  instructive  type  of 
the  way  in  which  a soul  is  led  to  the  life  of  entire 
surrender  and  undivided  allegiance,  to  the  full 
abiding. 

First  you  have  the  divided  kingdom  : Judah  faith- 
ful to  the  king  of  God’s  appointment;  Israel  still 
clinging  to  the  king  of  its  own  choosing.  As  a 
consequence,  the  nation  divided  against  itself,  and 
no  power  to  conquer  the  enemies.  Picture  of  the 
divided  heart.  Jesus  accepted  as  King  in  Judah, 
the  place  of  the  holy  mount,  in  the  inner  chamber 
of  the  soul ; but  the  surrounding  territory,  the  every- 
day life,  not  yet  brought  to  subjection  : more  than 
half  the  life  still  ruled  by  self-will  and  its  hosts. 


no 


ABIDE  IN  CHKIST : 


And  so  no  real  peace  within  and  no  power  over  the 
enemies. 

Then  there  is  the  longing  desire  for  a better  state : 
‘ Ye  sought  for  David  in  times  past  to  be  king  over 
you.’  There  was  a time,  when  David  had  con- 
quered the  Idiilistines,  that  Israel  believed  in  him ; 
but  they  had  been  led  astray.  Abner  aj^peals  to 
their  own  knowledge  of  God’s  will,  that  David  must 
rule  over  all.  So  the  believer,  when  first  brought 
to  Jesus,  did  indeed  want  Him  to  be  Lord  over  all, 
had  hoped  that  He  alone  would  be  king.  But, 
alas ! unbelief  and  self-will  had  come  in,  and  Jesus 
could  not  assert  His  power  over  the  whole  life. 
And  yet  the  Christian  is  not  content.  How  he 
longs — sometimes  without  daring  to  hope  that  it 
can  be — for  a better  time. 

Then  follows  God's  promise.  Abner  says  : ‘ The 
Lord  hath  spoken.  By  the  hand  of  David  I will 
save  my  people  from  the  hand  of  cdl  their  enemies.’ 
He  appeals  to  God's  promise : as  David  had  con- 
quered the  Philistines,  the  nearest  enemy  in  time 
past,  so  he  alone  could  conquer  those  farther  off. 
He  should  save  Israel  from  the  hand  of  all  their 
enemies.  Beautiful  type  of  the  promise  by  which 
the  soul  is  now  invited  to  trust  Jesus  for  the 
victory  over  every  enemy,  and  a life  of  undisturbed 
fellowship.  ‘ The  Lord  hath  spoken,’ — this  is  our 
only  hope.  On  that  word  rests  the  sure  expecta- 
tion (Luke  i.  70-75):  'As  He  spake,  That  we 
should  be  saved  from  the  hand  of  all  that  hate  us, 
to  perform  the  oath  which  He  sware,  that  He 


AT  THIS  MOMENT. 


Ill 


would  grant  unto  us  that  we,  being  delivered  from 
the  hand  of  our  enemies,  should  serve  Him  without 
fear,  in  holiness  and  righteousness  before  Him,  all 
the  days  of  our  life.’  David  reigning  over  every 
corner  of  the  land,  and  leading  a united  and 
obedient  people  on  from  victory  to  victory : this 
is  the  promise  of  what  Jesus  can  do  for  us,  as  soon 
as  in  faith  in  God’s  promise  all  is  surrendered  to 
Him,  and  the  whole  life  given  up  to  be  kept  abid- 
ing in  Him. 

‘ Ye  sought  for  David  in  times  past  to  be  king 
over  you,’  spake  Abner,  and  added,  ‘ Then  do  it 
now.’  Bo  it  now  is  the  message  that  this  story 
brings  to  each  one  of  us  who  longs  to  give  Jesus 
unreserved  supremacy.  Whatever  the  present 
moment  be,  however  unprepared  the  message  finds 
thee,  however  sad  the  divided  and  hopeless  state 
of  the  life  may  be,  still  I come  and  urge  Christ’s 
claim  to  an  immediate  surrender — this  very  moment. 
I know  well  that  it  will  take  time  for  the  blessed 
Lord  to  assert  His  power,  and  order  all  within  thee 
according  to  His  will — to  conquer  the  enemies  and 
train  all  thy  powers  for  His  service.  This  is  not 
the  work  of  a moment.  But  there  are  things  which 
are  the  work  of  a moment — of  this  moment. 
The  one  is — thy  surrender  of  all  to  Jesus  ; thy  sur- 
render of  thyself  entirely  to  live  only  in  Him.  As 
time  goes  on,  and  exercise  has  made  faith  stronger 
and  brighter,  that  surrender  may  become  clearer  and 
more  intelligent.  But  for  this  no  one  may  wait. 
The  only  way  ever  to  attain  to  it  is  to  begin  at 


112 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST : 


once.  Do  it  now.  Surrender  th/self  this  very 
moment  to  abide  wholly,  only,  always  in  Jesus. 
It  is  the  work  of  a moment.  And  just  so,  Christ’s 
renewed  acceptance  of  thee  is  the  work  of  a moment. 
Be  assured  that  He  has  tliee  and  holds  thee  as  His 
own,  and  that  each  new  ‘ Jesus,  I do  abide  in  Thee,’ 
meets  with  an  immediate  and  most  hearty  response 
from  the  Unseen  One.  No  act  of  faith  can  be  in 
vain.  He  does  indeed  anew  take  hold  on  us  and 
draw  us  close  to  Himself.  Therefore,  as  often  as 
the  message  comes,  or  the  thought  of  it  comes, 
Jesus  says.  Abide  in  me : do  it  at  once.  Each 
moment  there  is  tlie  whisper.  Do  it  now. 

Let  any  Christian  begin,  then,  and  he  will  speedily 
experience  how  the  blessing  of  the  present  moment 
is  passed  on  to  the  next.  It  is  the  unchanging 
Jesus  to  whom  he  links  himself ; it  is  the  power  of 
a Divine  life,  in  its  unbroken  continuity,  that  takes 
possession  of  him.  The  do  it  now  of  the  present 
moment — -a  little  thing  though  it  seems — is  nothing 
less  than  the  beginning  of  the  ever-present  now, 
which  is  the  mystery  and  the  glory  of  Eternity. 
Therefore,  Christian,  abide  in  Christ : do  it  now. 


FOBSAKING  ALL  FOB  HIM. 


113 


Sixteenth  Day 


ABIDE  IN  CHEIST, 

JForsaftins  all  for 


* I have  suffered  the  loss  of  all  things,  and  do  count  then?  but  dung, 
that  I may  win  Christ,  and  be  found  in  Him.’ — Phil.  iii.  8,  9, 

HEEEVER  there  is  life,  there  is  a continual 


tt  interchange  of  taking  in  and  giving  out, 
receiving  and  restoring.  The  nourishment  I take 
is  given  out  again  in  the  work  I do  ; the  impres- 
sions I receive,  in  the  thoughts  and  feelings  I express. 
The  one  depends  on  the  other, — the  giving  out  ever 
increases  the  power  of  taking  in.  In  the  healthy 
exercise  of  giving  and  taking  is  all  the  enjoyment 


of  life. 


It  is  so  in  the  spiritual  life  too.  There  are 
Christians  who  look  on  its  blessedness  as  consisting 
all  in  the  privilege  of  ever  receiving  ; they  know  not 
how  the  capacity  for  receiving  is  only  kept  up  and 
enlarged  by  continual  giving  up  and  giving  out, — how 
it  is  only  in  the  emptiness  that  comes  from  the 
parting  with  what  we  have,  that  the  Divine  fulness 
can  flow  in.  It  was  a truth  our  Saviour  continually 
insisted  on.  When  He  spoke  of  selling  all  to  secure  the 


H 


114 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


treasure,  of  losing  our  life  to  find  it,  of  the  liundred- 
fold  to  tliose  who  forsake  all.  He  was  expounding  the 
need  of  self-sacrifice  as  the  law  of  the  kingdom  for 
Himself  as  well  as  for  His  disciples.  If  we  are 
really  to  abide  in  Christ,  and  to  be  found  in  Him, — to 
have  our  life  always  and  wholly  in  Him, — we  must 
each  in  our  measure  say  with  Paul,  ‘ I count  all 
things  hut  loss  for  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of 
Christ  Jesus  my  Lord,  that  I may  win  Christ,  and 
be  FOUND  IN  Him.’ 

Let  us  try  and  see  what  there  is  to  be  forsaken 
and  given  up.  First  of  all,  there  is  sin.  There  can 
be  no  true  conversion  without  the  giving  up  of  sin. 
And  yet,  owing  to  the  ignorance  of  the  young  convert 
of  what  really  is  sin,  of  what  the  claims  of  God’s 
holiness  are,  and  what  the  extent  to  which  the  power 
of  Jesus  can  enable  us  to  conquer  sin,  the  giving  up 
of  sin  is  but  partial  and  superficial.  With  the  growth 
of  the  Christian  life  there  comes  the  want  of  a 
deeper  and  more  entire  purging  out  of  everything 
that  is  unholy.  And  it  is  specially  when  the  desire 
to  abide  in  Christ  uninterruptedly,  to  be  always 
found  in  Him,  becomes  strong,  that  the  soul  is  led 
to  see  the  need  of  a new  act  of  surrender,  in  which 
it  afresh  accepts  and  ratifies  its  death  to  sin  in  Christ, 
and  parts  indeed  with  everything  that  is  sin.  Avail- 
ing himself,  in  the  strength  of  God’s  Spirit,  of  that 
wonderful  power  of  our  nature  by  which  the  whole 
of  one’s  future  life  can  be  gathered  up  and  disposed 
of  in  one  act  of  the  will,  the  believer  yields  himself 
to  sin  no  more, — to  be  only  and  wholly  a servant 


FORSAKING  ALL  FOR  HIM.  1 1 5 

of  righteousness.  He  does  it  in  the  joyful  assurance 
that  every  sin  surrendered  is  gain  indeed, — room  for 
the  inflowing  of  the  presence  and  the  love  of  Christ. 

Next  to  the  parting  with  unrighteousness,  is  the 
giving  up  of  self-righteousness.  Though  contending 
most  earnestly  against  our  own  works  or  merits,  it 
is  often  long  before  we  come  really  to  understand 
what  it  is  to  refuse  self  the  least  place  or  right  in 
the  service  of  God.  Unconsciously  we  allow  the 
actings  of  our  own  mind  and  heart  and  will  free 
scope  in  God’s  presence.  In  prayer  and  worship,  in 
Bible  reading  and  working  for  God,  instead  of 
absolute  dependence  on  the  Holy  Spirit’s  leading, 
self  is  expected  to  do  a work  it  never  can  do.  We 
are  slow  to  learn  the  lesson,  ‘ In  me,  that  is,  in  my 
flesh,  dwelleth  no  good  thing.’  As  it  is  learnt,  and 
we  see  how  corruption  extends  to  everything  that  is 
of  nature,  we  see  that  there  can  be  no  entire  abiding 
in  Christ  without  the  giving  up  of  all  that  is  of  self 
in  religion, — without  giving  it  up  to  the  death,  and 
waiting  for  the  breathings  of  the  Holy  Spirit  as  alone 
able  to  work  in  us  what  is  acceptable  in  God’s  sight. 

Then,  again,  there  is  our  whole  natural  life,  with 
all  the  powers  and  endowments  bestowed  upon  us 
by  the  Creator,  with  all  the  occupations  and  interests 
with  which  Providence  has  surrounded  us.  It  is 
not  enough  that,  when  once  you  are  truly  converted, 
you  have  the  earnest  desire  to  have  all  these  devoted 
to  the  service  of  the  Lord.  The  desire  is  good,  but 
can  neither  teach  the  way  nor  give  the  strength  to 
do  it  acceptably.  Incalculable  harm  has  been  done 


116 


ABIDE  IN  CUBIST  : 


to  the  deeper  spirituality  of  the  Church,  by  the  idea 
that  when  once  we  are  God’s  children  the  using  of 
our  gifts  in  His  service  follows  as  a matter  of  course. 
No  ; for  this  there  is  indeed  needed  very  special 
grace.  And  the  way  in  whicli  the  grace  comes  is 
again  that  of  sacrifice  and  surrender.  I must  see 
how  all  my  gifts  and  powers  are,  even  though  I be 
a child  of  God,  still  defiled  by  sin,  and  under  the 
power  of  the  flesh.  I must  feel  that  I cannot  at 
once  proceed  to  use  them  for  God’s  glory.  I must 
first  lay  them  at  Christ’s  feet,  to  be  accepted  and 
cleansed  by  Him.  I must  feel  myself  utterly  powerless 
to  use  them  aright.  I must  see  that  they  are  most 
dangerous  to  me,  because  through  them  the  flesh, 
the  old  nature,  self,  will  so  easily  exert  its  power. 
In  this  conviction  I must  part  with  them,  giving 
them  entirely  up  to  the  Lord.  When  He  has 
accepted  them,  and  set  His  stamp  upon  them,  I 
receive  them  back,  to  hold  them  as  His  property,  to 
wait  on  Him  for  the  grace  to  daily  use  them  aright, 
and  to  have  them  act  only  under  His  influence.  And 
so  experience  proves  it  true  here  too,  that  the  path  of 
entire  consecration  is  the  path  of  full  salvation. 
Not  only  is  what  is  thus  given  up  received  back 
again  to  become  doubly  our  own,  but  the  forsaking 
all  is  followed  by  the  receiving  all.  We  abide  in 
Christ  more  fully  as  we  forsake  all  and  follow  Him. 
As  I count  all  things  loss  for  His  sake,  I am  found 
IN  Him. 

Tlie  same  principle  holds  good  of  all  the  lawful 
occupations  and  possessions  with  which  we  are 


FOESAKING  ALL  FOE  HIM. 


117 


entrusted  of  God.  Such  were  the  fish-nets  on  the 
Sea  of  Galilee,  and  the  household  duties  of  Martlia 
of  Bethany, — the  home  and  the  friends  of  many  a 
one  among  Jesus’  disciples.  Jesus  taught  them  in 
very  deed  to  forsake  all  for  Him.  It  was  no  arbi- 
trary command,  but  the  simple  application  of  a law 
in  nature  to  the  kingdom  of  His  grace, — that  the 
more  perfectly  the  old  occupant  is  cast  out,  the  more 
complete  can  be  the  possession  of  the  new,  and  the 
more  entire  the  renewal  of  all  within. 

This  principle  has  a still  deeper  application.  The 
truly  spiritual  gifts  which  are  the  working  of  God’s 
own  Holy  Spirit  within  us, — these  surely  need  not  be 
thus  given  up  and  surrendered  ? They  do  indeed  ; 
the  interchange  of  giving  up  and  taking  in  is  a 
life  process,  and  may  not  cease  for  a moment.  No 
sooner  does  the  believer  begin  to  rejoice  in  the  pos- 
session of  what  he  has,  than  the  infiow  of  new  grace 
is  retarded,  and  stagnation  threatens.  It  is  only 
into  the  thirst  of  an  empty  soul  that  the  streams  of 
living  waters  flow.  Ever  thirsting  is  the  secret  of 
never  thirsting.  Each  blessed  experience  we  receive 
as  a gift  of  God,  must  at  once  be  returned  back  to 
Him  from  whom  it  came,  in  praise  and  love,  in  self- 
sacrifice  and  service ; so  only  can  it  be  restored  to 
us  again,  fresh  and  beautiful  with  the  bloom  of 
heaven.  Is  not  this  the  wonderful  lesson  Isaac  on 
Moriah  teaches  us  ? Was  he  not  the  son  of  promise, 
the  God-given  life,  the  wonder-gift  of  the  omnipotence 
of  Him  who  quickeneth  the  dead  ? (Eom.  iv.  17.)  And 
yet  even  he  had  to  be  given  up,  and  sacrificed,  that 


118 


ABIDE  IN  CIIUIST: 


lie  might  be  received  back  again  a thousandfold 
more  precious  than  before, — a type  of  the  Only- 
begotten  of  the  Father,  whose  pure  and  holy  life  had 
to  be  given  up  ere  lie  could  receive  it  again  in 
resurrection  power,  and  make  His  people  partakers 
of  it.  A type,  too,  of  what  takes  place  in  the  life 
of  each  believer,  as,  instead  of  resting  content  with 
past  experiences  or  present  grace,  he  presses  on,  for- 
getting and  giving  up  all  that  is  behind,  and  reaches 
out  to  the  fullest  possible  apprehension  of  Christ 
llis  life. 

And  such  surrender  of  all  for  Christ,  is  it  a single 
step,  the  act  and  experience  of  a moment,  or  is  it  a 
course  of  daily  renewed  and  progressive  attainment  ? 
It  is  both.  There  may  be  a moment  in  the  life  of 
a believer  when  he  gets  a first  sight,  or  a deeper 
insight,  of  this  most  blessed  truth,  and  when,  made 
willing  in  the  day  of  God’s  power,  he  does  indeed, 
in  an  act  of  the  will,  gather  up  the  whole  of  life 
yet  before  him  into  the  decision  of  a moment,  and 
lay  himself  on  the  altar  a living  and  an  acceptable 
sacrifice.  Such  moments  have  often  been  the  blessed 
transition  from  a life  of  wandering  and  failure  to  a 
life  of  abiding  and  power  Divine.  But  even  then 
his  daily  life  becomes,  what  the  life  must  be  of  each 
one  who  has  no  such  experience,  the  unceasing 
prayer  for  more  light  on  the  meaning  of  entire  sur- 
render, the  ever-renewed  offering  up  of  all  he  has 
to  God. 

Believer,  wonkiest  tliou  abide  in  Christ,  see  here 
the  blessed  path.  Nature  shrinks  back  from  such 


FORSAKING  ALL  FOR  HIM. 


119 


self-denial  and  crucifixion  in  its  rigid  application  to 
our  life  in  its  whole  extent.  But  what  nature  does 
not  love  and  cannot  perforin,  grace  will  accomplish, 
and  make  to  thee  a life  of  joy  and  glory.  Do  thou 
but  yield  up  thyself  to  Christ  thy  Lord  ; the  con- 
][uering  power  of  His  incoming  presence  will  make 
t joy  to  cast  out  all  that  before  was  most  precious. 
A hundredfold  in  this  life : ’ this  word  of  the 
Master  comes  true  to  all  who,  with  whole-hearted 
aithfulness,  accept  His  commands  to  forsake  all. 
The  blessed  receiving  soon  makes  the  giving  up 
iiiost  blessed  too.  And  the  secret  of  a life  of  close 
abiding  will  be  seen  to  be  simply  this : As  I give 
myself  wholly  to  Christ,  I find  the  power  to  take 
Him  wholly  for  myself ; and  as  I lose  myself  and 
all  I have  for  Him,  He  takes  me  wholly  for  Himself, 
and  gives  Himself  wholly  to  me. 


120 


ABIDE  IN  CimiST : 


Seventeenth  Day. 

ABIDE  IN  CHRIST, 

2Ci)rou0l)  tlje  IlSolg  spirit. 

‘ The  anointing  which  ye  have  received  of  Him,  ahideth  in  you  ; 
and  even  as  it  hath  taught  you,  ye  shall  abide  in  Him.* — 1 John 
ii.  27. 

HOW  beautiful  the  thought  of  a life  always 
abiding  in  Christ ! The  longer  we  think  of 
it,  the  more  attractive  it  becomes.  And  yet  how 
often  it  is  that  the  precious  words,  ' Abide  in  me,’ 
are  heard  by  the  young  disciple  with  a sigh ! It 'is 
as  if  he  understands  so  little  what  they  really  mean, 
and  can  realize  so  little  how  this  full  enjoyment  can 
be  attained.  He  longs  for  some  one  who  could 
make  it  perfectly  clear,  and  continually  again 
remind  him  that  the  abiding  is  in  very  deed  within 
his  reach.  If  such  an  one  would  but  listen  to  the 
word  we  have  from  John  this  day,  what  hope  and 
joy  it  would  bring  ! It  gives  us  the  Divine  assur- 
ance that  we  have  the  anointing  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
to  teach  us  all  things,  also  to  teach  us  how  to  abide 
in  Christ. 

Alas  ! some  one  answers,  this  word  does  not  give 
me  comfort,  it  only  depresses  me  more.  For  it  tells 


THKOUGH  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT. 


121 


of  another  privilege  I so  little  know  to  enjoy : I do 
not  understand  how  the  teaching  of  the  Spirit  is 
given, — where  or  how  I can  discern  His  voice.  If 
the  Teacher  is  so  unknown,  no  wonder  that  the 
promise  of  His  teaching  about  the  abiding  does  not 
help  me  much. 

Thoughts  like  these  come  from  an  error  which 
is  very  common  among  believers.  They  imagine 
that  the  Spirit,  in  teaching  them,  must  reveal 
the  mysteries  of  the  spiritual  life  first  to  their 
intellect,  and  afterwards  in  their  experience.  And 
God’s  way  is  just  the  contrary  of  this.  What 
holds  true  of  all  spiritual  truth  is  specially 
true  of  the  abiding  in  Christ:  We  must  live  and 
experience  truth  in  order  to  know  it.  Life-fellowship 
with  Jesus  is  the  only  school  for  the  science  of 
heavenly  things.  ‘ What  I do,  thou  knowest  not 
now,  but  thou  shalt  know  hereafter,’  is  a law  of  the 
kingdom,  specially  true  of  the  daily  cleansing  of 
which  it  first  was  spoken,  and  the  daily  keeping. 
Receive  what  thou  dost  not  comprehend,  submit  to 
what  thou  canst  not  understand,  accept  and  expect 
what  to  reason  appears  a mystery,  believe  what 
looks  impossible,  walk  in  a way  which  thou  knowest 
not, — such  are  the  first  lessons  in  the  school  of  God. 
‘ If  ye  abide  in  my  word,  ye  shall  understand  the 
truth  : ’ in  these  and  other  words  of  God  we  are 
taught  that  there  is  a habit  of  mind  and  life  which 
precedes  the  understanding  of  the  truth.  True 
discipleship  consists  in  first  following,  and  then 
knowing  the  Lord.  The  believing  surrender  tQ 
Christ,  and  the  submission  to  His  word  to  expect 


122 


ABIDE  IN  CHllIST  : 


what  appears  most  improbable,  is  the  only  way  to 
the  full  blessedness  of  knowing  Him. 

These  principles  hold  specially  good  in  regard  to 
the  teaching  of  the  Spirit.  That  teaching  consists 
in  His  guiding  the  spiritual  life  within  us  to  that 
whieh  God  has  prepared  for  us,  without  our  alioays 
knowing  how.  On  the  strength  of  God's  promise, 
and  trusting  in  His  faithfulness,  the  believer  yields 
himself  to  the  leading  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  without 
claiming  to  have  it  first  made  clear  to  the  intellect 
what  He  is  to  do,  but  consenting  to  let  Him  do  His 
work  in  the  soul,  and  afterwards  to  know  what  He 
has  wrought  there.  Faith  trusts  the  working  of  the 
Spirit  unseen  in  the  deep  recesses  of  the  inner  life. 
And  so  the  word  of  Christ  and  the  gift  of  the  Spirit 
are  to  the  believer  sufficient  guarantee  that  He  will 
be  taught  of  the  Spirit  to  abide  in  Christ.  By 
faith  he  rejoices  in  what  he  does  not  see  or  feel: 
he  knows,  and  is  confident  that  the  blessed  Spirit 
within  is  doing  His  work  silently  but  surely, 
guiding  him  into  the  life  of  full  abiding  and 
unbroken  communion.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  the 
Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus ; it  is  His  work,  not 
only  to  breathe,  but  ever  to  foster  and  strengthen, 
and  so  to  perfect  the  new  life  within.  And  just  in 
proportion  as  the  believer  yields  himself  in  simple 
trust  to  the  unseen,  but  most  certain  law  of  the 
Spirit  of  life  working  within  him,  his  faith  will  pass 
into  knowledge.  It  will  be  rewarded  by  the  Spirit's 
light  revealing  in  the  Word  what  has  already  been 
wrought  by  the  Spirit’s  power  in  the  life. 


THROUGH  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT. 


123 


Apply  this  now  to  the  promise  of  the  Spirit’s 
teaching  us  to  abide  in  Christ.  The  Holy  Spirit  is 
indeed  the  mighty  power  of  God.  And  He  comes 
to  us  from  the  heart  of  Christ,  the  bearer  of  Christ’s 
life,  the  revealer  and  communicator  of  Christ  Him- 
self within  us.  In  the  expression,  ' the  fellowship 
of  the  Spirit,’  we  are  taught  what  His  highest  work 
is.  He  is  the  bond  of  fellowship  between  the 
Father  and  the  Son  : by  Him  they  are  one.  He  is 
the  bond  of  fellowship  between  all  believers : by 
Him  they  are  one.  Above  all.  He  is  the  bond  of 
fellowship  between  Christ  and  believers  ; He  is  the 
life-sap  through  which  Vine  and  branch  grow  into 
real  and  living  oneness  : by  Him  we  are  one.  And 
we  can  be  assured  of  it,  that  if  we  do  but  believe 
in  His  presence  and  working,  if  we  do  but  watch 
not  to  grieve  Him,  because  we  know  that  He  is  in 
us,  if  we  wait  and  pray  to  be  filled  with  Him,  He 
will  teach  us  how  to  abide.  First  guiding  our  will 
to  a whole-hearted  cleaving  to  Christ,  then  quicken- 
ing our  faith  into  ever  larger  confidence  and  expecta- 
tion, then  breathing  into  our  hearts  a peace  and  joy 
that  pass  understanding.  He  teaches  us  to  abide,  we 
scarce  know  how.  Then  coming  through  the  heart 
and  life  into  the  understanding.  He  makes  us  know 
the  truth, — not  as  mere  thought-truth,  but  as  the 
truth  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus,  the  reflection  into 
the  mind  of  the  light  of  what  He  has  already  made 
a reality  in  the  life.  ' The  life  was  the  light  of  men.’ 

In  view  of  such  teaching,  it  is  clear  how,  if  we 
would  have  the  Spirit  to  guide  us  into  the  abiding 


124 


ABIDE  IN  CHKIST  : 


life,  our  first  need  is — quiet  restful  faith.  Amid  all 
the  questions  and  difficulties  that  may  come  up  in 
connection  with  our  striving  to  al)ide  in  Christ, 
— amid  all  the  longing  we  may  sometimes  feel  to 
have  a Christian  of  experience  to  aid  us, — amid  the 
frequent  painful  conscimisness  of  failure,  of  ignor- 
ance, of  helplessness, — do  let  us  hold  fast  the  blessed 
confidence  : JVe  have  the  unction  of  the  Holy  One  to 
teach  us  to  abide  in  Him.  ‘The  anointing  which  ye 
have  received  of  Him,  abideth  in  you  ; and  even  as 
it  hath  taught  you,  ye  shall  abide  in  Him.'  Make 
this  teaching  of  His  in  connection  with  the  abiding 
matter  of  special  exercise  of  faith.  Believe  that  as 
surely  as  thou  hast  part  in  Christ,  thou  hast  His 
Spirit  too.  Believe  that  He  will  do  His  work  with 
power,  if  only  thou  dost  not  hinder  Him.  Believe 
that  He  is  working,  even  when  thou  canst  not  dis- 
cern it.  Believe  that  He  will  work  mightily  if  thou 
dost  ask  this  from  the  Father.  It  is  impossible  to 
live  the  life  of  full  abiding  without  being  full  of  the 
Holy  Spirit ; believe  that  the  fulness  of  the  Spirit 
is  indeed  thy  daily  portion.  Be  sure  and  take  time 
in  prayer  to  dwell  at  the  footstool  of  the  throne  of 
God  and  the  Lamb,  whence  flows  the  river  of  the 
water  of  life.  It  is  therCy  and  only  therCy  that  thou 
canst  be  filled  with  the  Spirit.  Cultivate  carefully 
tlie  habit  of  daily,  yea,  continually  honouring  Him 
by  the  quiet,  restful  confidence  that  He  is  doing 
His  work  within.  Let  faith  in  His  indwelling  make 
thee  jealous  of  whatever  could  grieve  Him, — the 
spirit  of  the  world  or  the  actings  of  self  and  the 


THROUGH  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT. 


125 


flesh.  Let  that  faith  seek  its  nourishment  in  the 
Word  and  all  it  says  of  the  Spirit,  His  power,  His 
comfort,  and  His  work.  Above  all,  let  that  faith  in 
the  Spirit’s  indwelling  lead  thee  specially,  to  look 
away  to  Jesus ; as  we  have  received  the  anointing 
of  Him,  it  comes  in  ever  stronger  flow  from  Him  as 
we  are  occupied  with  Him  alone.  Christ  is  the 
Anointed  One.  As  we  look  up  to  Him,  the  holy 
anointing  comes,  ‘ the  precious  ointment  upon  the 
head  of  Aaron,  that  went  down  to  the  skirts  of  his 
garments.’  It  is  faith  in  Jesus  that  brings  the 
anointing ; the  anointing  leads  to  J esus,  and  to  the 
abiding  in  Him  alone. 

Believer^  abide  in  Christ,  in  the  power  of  the 
Spirit.  What  think  you,  ought  the  abiding  longer 
to  be  a fear  or  a burden  ? Surely  not.  Oh,  if  we 
did  but  know  the  graciousness  of  our  Holy  Com- 
forter, and  the  blessedness  of  wholly  yielding  our- 
selves to  His  leading,  we  should  indeed  experience 
the  Divine  comfort  of  having  such  a teacher  to 
secure  our  abiding  in  Christ.  The  Holy  Spirit  was 
given  for  this  one  purpose, — that  the  glorious  re- 
demption and  life  in  Christ  might  with  Divine 
power  he  conveyed  and  communicated  to  us.  We 
have  the  Holy  Spirit  to  make  the  living  Christ,  in 
all  His  saving  power,  and  in  the  completeness  of 
His  victory  over  sin,  ever  present  within  us.  It  is 
this  that  constitutes  Him  the  Comforter : with  Him 
we  need  never  mourn  an  absent  Christ.  Let  us 
therefore,  as  often  as  we  read,  or  meditate,  or  pray  in 
connection  with  this  abiding  in  Christ,  reckon  upon  it 


126 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  ; 


as  a settled  thing  that  we  have  the  Spirit  of  God 
Himself  within  us,  teaching,  and  guiding,  and  work- 
ing. Let  us  rejoice  in  the  confidence  that  we  must 
succeed  in  our  desires,  because  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
working  all  the  while  with  secret  but  Divine  power 
in  the  soul  that  does  not  hinder  Him  by  its  un- 
belief. 


IN  STILLNESS  OF  SOUL. 


2 27 


Eighteenth  Day. 

ABIDE  IN  CHEIST, 

In  Stillness  of  Soul. 

* In  returning  and  rest  shall  ye  be  saved  ; in  quietness  and 
confidence  shall  be  your  strength.’ — IsA.  xxx.  15. 

‘Be  silent  to  the  Lord,  and  wait  patiently  for  Him.’ — Ps. 
Ixxvii.  7 (marg,), 

‘ Truly  my  soul  is  silent  unto  God.’ — Ps.  lx.  1 {rnarg,), 

THEEE  is  a view  of  the  Christian  life  that 
regards  it  as  a sort  of  partnership,  in  which 
God  and  man  have  each  to  do  their  part.  It 
admits  that  it  is  but  little  that  man  can  do,  and 
that  little  defiled  with  sin  ; still  he  must  do  his 
utmost, — then  only  can  he  expect  God  to  do  His 
part.  To  those  who  think  thus,  it  is  extremely 
difficult  to  understand  what  Scripture  means  when 
it  speaks  of  our  being  still  and  doing  nothing,  of 
our  resting  and  waiting  to  see  the  salvation  of  God. 
It  appears  to  them  a perfect  contradiction,  when  we 
speak  of  this  quietness  and  ceasing  from  all  effort 
as  the  secret  of  the  highest  activity  of  man  and 
all  his  powers.  And  yet  this  is  just  what  Scrip- 
ture does  teach.  The  explanation  of  the  apparent 
mystery  is  to  be  found  in  this,  that  when  God 


128 


ABIDE  IN  CUBIST: 


and  man  are  spoken  of  as  working  together,  there 
is  notliing  of  the  idea  of  a partnership  between  two 
partners  who  each  contribute  their  share  to  a work. 
The  relation  is  a very  different  one.  The  true  idea 
is  tliat  of  co-operation  founded  on  subordination. 
As  Jesus  was  entirely  dependent  on  the  Father  for 
all  His  words  and  all  His  works,  so  the  believer 
can  do  nothing  of  himself.  What  he  can  do  of 
himself  is  altogether  sinful.  He  must  therefore 
cease  entirely  from  his  own  doing,  and  wait  for  the 
working  of  God  in  him.  As  he  ceases  from  self- 
effort, faith  assures  him  that  God  does  what  He  has 
undertaken,  and  works  in  him.  And  what  God 
does  is  to  renew,  to  sanctify,  and  waken  all  his 
energies  to  their  highest  power.  So  that  just  in 
proportion  as  he  yields  himself  a truly  passive  in- 
strument in  the  hand  of  God,  will  he  be  wielded 
of  God  as  the  active  instrument  of  His  almighty 
power.  The  soul  in  which  the  wondrous  combina- 
tion of  perfect  passivity  with  the  highest  activity 
is  most  completely  realized,  has  the  deepest  ex- 
perience of  what  the  Christian  life  is. 

Among  the  lessons  to  be  learnt  of  those  who  are 
studying  the  blessed  art  of  abiding  in  Christ,  there 
is  none  more  needful  and  more  profitable  than  this 
one  of  stillness  of  soul.  In  it  alone  can  we  cultivate 
that  teachableness  of  spirit,  to  which  the  Lord  will 
reveal  His  secrets, — tliat  meekness  to  which  He 
shows  His  ways.  It  is  the  spirit  exhibited  so 
beautifully  in  all  the  three  Marys : In  her  whose 
only  answer  to  the  most  wonderful  revelation  ever 


IN  STILLNESS  OF  SOUL. 


129 


made  to  human  being  was,  ‘ Behold  the  handmaid 
of  the  Lord ; be  it  unto  me  according  to  Thy 
word  ; ' and  of  whom,  as  mysteries  mulLiplied  around 
her,  it  is  written:  ‘Mary  kept  all  these  things  and 
pondered  them  in  her  heart/  And  in  her  who  ‘ sat 
at  J esus’  feet,  and  heard  His  word,’  and  who  showed, 
in  the  anointing  Him  for  His  burial,  how  she  had 
entered  more  deeply  into  the  mystery  of  His  death 
than  even  the  beloved  disciple.  And  in  her,  too, 
who  sought  her  Lord  in  the  house  of  the  Pharisee, 
with  tears  that  spake  more  than  words.  It  is  a 
soul  silent  unto  God  that  is  the  best  preparation  for 
knowing  Jesus,  and  for  holding  fast  the  blessings 
He  bestows.  It  is  when  the  soul  is  hushed  in 
silent  awe  and  worship  before  the  Holy  Presence 
that  reveals  itself  within,  that  the  still  small  voice 
of  the  blessed  Spirit  will  be  heard. 

Therefore,  beloved  Christian,  as  often  as  thou 
seekest  to  understand  better  the  blessed  mystery 
of  abiding  in  Christ,  let  this  be  thy  first  thought 
(Ps.  Ixii.  5,  marg,) : ‘ My  soul,  only  he  silent  unto 
God ; for  my  expectation  is  from  Him.’  Dost 
thou  in  very  deed  hope  to  realize  the  wondrous 
union  with  the  Heavenly  Vine  ? Know  that  flesh 
and  blood  cannot  reveal  it  unto  thee,  but  only  the 
Father  in  heaven.  ‘ Cease  from  thine  own  wisdom.’ 
Thou  hast  but  to  bow  in  the  confession  of  thine 
own  ignorance  and  impotence ; the  Father  will 
delight  to  give  thee  the  teaching  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  If  but  thine  ear  be  open,  and  thy  thoughts 
brought  into  subjection,  and  thine  heart  prepared  in 

I 


130 


ABIDE  IN  CimiST  : 


silence  to  wait  upon  God,  and  to  hear  what  He 
speaks,  He  will  reveal  to  thee  His  secrets.  And 

one  of  the  first  secrets  will  be  the  deeper  insight 

into  the  trutli,  that  as  thou  sinkest  low  before  Him 
in  nothingness  and  helplessness,  in  a silence  and  a 
stillness  of  soul  that  seeks  to  catch  the  faintest 

whisper  of  His  love,  teachings  will  come  to  thee 

which  thou  never  hadst  heard  before  for  the  rush 
and  noise  of  thine  own  thoughts  and  efforts.  Thou 
shalt  learn  how  thy  great  work  is  to  listen,  and 
hear,  and  believe  what  lie  promises ; to  watch  and 
wait  and  see  what  He  does ; and  then,  in  faith, 
and  worship,  and  obedience,  to  yield  thyself  to  His 
working  who  worketh  in  thee  mightily. 

One  would  think  that  no  message  could  be  more 
beautiful  or  welcome  than  this,  that  we  may  rest 
and  be  quiet,  and  that  our  God  will  work  for  us 
and  in  us.  And  yet  how  far  this  is  from  being 
the  case ! And  how  slow  many  are  to  learn  that 
quietness  is  blessedness,  that  quietness  is  strength, 
that  quietness  is  the  source  of  the  highest  activity, 
— the  secret  of  all  true  abiding  in  Christ ! Let  us  try 
to  learn  it,  and  to  watch  against  whatever  interferes 
with  it.  The  dangers  that  threaten  the  soul’s  rest 
are  not  a few. 

There  is  the  dissipation  of  soul  which  comes  from 
entering  needlessly  and  too  deeply  into  the  interests 
of  this  world.  Every  one  of  us  has  his  Divine 
calling ; and  within  the  circle  pointed  out  by  God 
Himself,  interest  in  our  work  and  its  surroundings 
is  a duty.  But  even  here  the  Christian  needs  to 


IN  STILLNESS  OF  SOUL. 


131 


exercise  watchfulness  and  sobriety.  And  still 
more  do  we  need  a holy  temperance  in  regard 
to  things  not  absolutely  imposed  upon  us  by  God. 
If  abiding  in  Christ  really  be  our  first  aim,  let  us 
beware  of  all  needless  excitement.  Let  us  watch 
even  in  lawful  and  necessary  things  against  the 
wondrous  power  these  have  to  keep  the  soul  so 
occupied,  that  there  remains  but  little  power  or  zest 
for  fellowship  with  God.  Then  there  is  the  rest 
lessness  and  worry  that  come  of  care  and  anxiety 
about  earthly  things ; these  eat  away  the  life  of 
trust,  and  keep  the  soul  like  a troubled  sea.  There 
the  gentle  whispers  of  the  Holy  Comforter  cannot 
be  heard. 

No  less  hurtful  is  the  spirit  of  fear  and  distrust 
in  spiritual  things ; with  its  apprehensions  and  its 
efforts,  it  never  comes  really  to  hear  what  God  has 
to  say.  Above  all,  there  is  the  unrest  that  comes 
of  seeking  in  our  own  way  and  in  our  own  strength 
the  spiritual  blessing  which  comes  alone  from  above. 
The  heart  occupied  with  its  own  plans  and  efforts  for 
doing  God's  will,  and  securing  the  Messing  of  abiding 
in  Jesus,  must  fail  continually.  God’s  work  is 
hindered  by  our  interference.  He  can  do  His  work 
perfectly  only  when  the  soul  ceases  from  its  work. 
He  will  do  His  work  mightily  in  the  soul  that 
honours  Him  by  expecting  Him  to  work  both  to 
will  and  to  do. 

And,  last  of  all,  even  when  the  soul  seeks  truly 
to  enter  the  way  of  faith,  there  is  the  impatience  of 
the  flesh,  which  forms  its  judgment  of  the  life  and 


132 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST: 


progress  of  the  soul  not  after  the  Divine  but  the 
human  standard. 

In  dealing  with  all  this,  and  so  much  more, 
blessed  the  man  who  learns  the  lesson  of  stillness, 
and  fully  accepts  God's  word : ‘ In  quietness  and 
confidence  shall  be  your  strength.'  Each  time 
he  listens  to  the  word  of  the  Father,  or  asks  the 
Father  to  listen  to  his  words,  he  dares  not  begin 
his  Bible  reading  or  prayer  without  first  pausing 
and  waiting,  until  the  soul  be  hushed  in  the  pre- 
sence of  the  Eternal  Majesty.  Under  a sense  of 
the  Divine  nearness,  the  soul,  feeling  how  self  is 
always  ready  to  assert  itself,  and  intrude  even  into 
the  holiest  of  all  with  its  thoughts  and  efforts,  yields 
itself  in  a quiet  act  of  self-surrender  to  the  teaching 
and  working  of  the  Divine  Spirit.  It  is  still  and 
waits  in  holy  silence,  until  all  is  calm  and  ready  to 
receive  the  revelation  of  the  Divine  will  and  pre- 
sence. Its  reading  and  prayer  then  indeed  become 
a waiting  on  God  with  ear  and  heart  opened  and 
purged  to  receive  fully  only  what  He  says, 

‘ Abide  in  Christ ! ' Let  no  one  think  that  he 
can  do  this  if  he  has  not  daily  his  quiet  time,  his 
seasons  of  meditation  and  waiting  on  God.  In 
these  a habit  of  soul  must  be  cultivated,  in  which 
the  believer  goes  out  into  the  world  and  its  dis- 
tractions, the  peace  of  God,  that  passeth  all  under- 
standing, keeping  the  Iieart  and  mind.  It  is  in 
such  a calm  and  restful  soul  that  the  life  of  faith 
can  strike  deep  root,  tliat  the  Holy  Spirit  can  give 
His  blessed  teaching,  that  the  Holy  Father  can 


IN  STILLNESS  OF  SOUL. 


133 


accomplish  His  glorious  work.  May  each  one  of  us 
learn  every  day  to  say,  ‘ Truly  my  soul  is  silent  unto 
God.’  And  may  every  feeling  of  the  difficulty 
of  attaining  this  only  lead  us  simply  to  look  and 
trust  to  Him  whose  presence  makes  even  the  storm 
a calm.  Cultivate  the  quietness  as  a means  to  the 
abiding  in  Christ ; expect  the  ever  deepening  quiet- 
ness and  calm  of  heaven  in  the  soul  as  the  fruit  of 
abiding  in  Him. 


134 


AUIDE  IN  ClllUST  : 


Nineteenth  Day. 

ABIDE  IN  CHiaST, 

hi  'Sftltrtton  anlj  ®rial. 

‘ Every  brancli  that  beareth  fruit,  He  purgeth  it,  that  it  may 
bring  forth  more  fruit.’ — John  xv.  2. 

T N the  whole  plant  world  there  is  not  a tree  to  be 
J-  found  so  specially  suited  to  be  the  image  of 
man  in  his  relation  to  God,  as  the  vine.  There  is 
none  of  which  the  fruit  and  its  juice  are  so  full  of 
spirit,  so  quickening  and  stimulating.  But  there 
is  also  none  of  which  the  natural  tendency  is  so 
entirely  evil, — none  where  the  growth  is  so  ready  to 
run  into  wood  that  is  utterly  worthless  except  for 
the  fire.  Of  all  plants,  not  one  needs  the  pruning 
knife  so  unsparingly  and  so  unceasingly.  None  is 
so  dependent  on  cultivation  and  training,  but  with 
this  none  yields  a richer  reward  to  the  husbandman. 
In  His  wonderful  parable,  the  Saviour,  with  a single 
word,  refers  to  this  need  of  pruning  in  the  vine,  and 
the  blessing  it  brings.  But  from  that  single  word 
what  streams  of  light  pour  in  upon  this  dark  world, 
so  full  of  suflering  and  of  sorrow  to  believers ! what 
treasures  of  teaching  and  comfort  to  the  bleeding 


IN  AFFLICTION  AND  TRIAL. 


135 


branch  in  its  hour  of  trial : ‘ Every  branch  that 
beareth  fruit,  He  purgeth  it,  that  it  may  bring  forth 
more  fruit/  And  so  He  has  prepared  His  people, 
who  are  so  ready  when  trial  comes  to  be  shaken  in 
their  confidence,  and  to  be  moved  from  their  abiding 
in  Christ,  to  hear  in  each  affliction  the  voice  of  a 
messenger  that  comes  to  call  them  to  abide  still 
more  closely.  Yes,  believer,  most  specially  in  times 
of  trial,  abide  in  Christ. 

Abide  in  Christ ! This  is  indeed  the  Father's 
object  in  sending  the  trial.  In  the  storm  the  tree 
strikes  deeper  roots  in  the  soil ; in  the  hurricane  the 
inhabitants  of  the  house  abide  within,  and  rejoice  in 
its  shelter.  So  by  suffering  the  Father  would  lead 
us  to  enter  more  deeply  into  the  love  of  Christ. 
Our  hearts  are  continually  prone  to  wander  from 
Him  ; prosperity  and  enjoyment  all  too  easily  satisfy 
us,  dull  our  spiritual  perception,  and  unfit  us  for  full 
communion  with  Himself.  It  is  an  unspeakable 
mercy  that  the  Father  comes  with  His  chastisement, 
makes  the  world  round  us  all  dark  and  unattractive, 
leads  us  to  feel  more  deeply  our  sinfulness,  and  for 
a time  lose  our  joy  in  what  was  becoming  so 
dangerous.  He  does  it  in  the  hope  that,  when  we 
have  found  our  rest  in  Christ  in  time  of  trouble,  we 
shall  learn  to  choose  abiding  in  Him  as  our  only 
portion ; and  when  the  affliction  is  removed,  have  so 
grown  more  firmly  into  Him,  that  in  prosperity  He 
still  shall  be  our  only  joy.  So  much  has  He  set  His 
heart  on  this,  that  though  He  has  indeed  no  pleasure 
in  afflicting  us,  He  will  not  keep  back  even  the 


136 


ABIDE  IN  CUBIST  : 


most  painful  chastisement  if  He  can  but  thereby 
guide  His  beloved  child  to  come  home  and  abide 
in  the  beloved  Son.  Christian  ! pray  for  grace  to 
see  in  every  trouble,  small  or  great,  the  Fatlier’s 
finger  pointing  to  Jesus,  and  saying,  Abide  in 
Him. 

Abide  in  Christ : so  wilt  thou  become  pavtciher 
of  all  the  rich  blessings  God  designed  for  thee  in 
the  affliction.  The  purposes  of  God’s  wisdom  will 
become  clear  to  thee,  thy  assurance  of  the  unchange- 
able love  become  stronger,  and  the  power  of  His 
Spirit  fulfil  in  thee  the  promise  : ‘He  chasteneth  us 
for  our  profit,  that  we  might  be  partakers  of  His 
holiness.’  Abide  in  Christ : and  thy  cross  becomes 
the  means  of  fellowship  with  His  cross,  and  access 
into  its  mysteries, — the  mystery  of  the  curse  winch 
He  bore  for  thee,  of  the  death  to  sin  in  which  thou 
partakest  with  Him,  of  the  love  in  which,  as  sym- 
pathizing High  Priest,  He  descended  into  all  thy 
sorrows.  Abide  in  Christ  : growing  conformity  to 
thy  blessed  Lord  in  His  sufferings,  deeper  experience 
of  the  reality  and  the  tenderness  of  His  love  will  be 
thine.  Abide  in  Christ : in  the  fiery  oven,  one  like 
the  Son  of  man  will  be  seen  as  never  before ; the 
purging  away  of  the  dross  and  the  refining  of  the 
gold  will  be  accomplished,  and  Christ’s  own  like- 
ness reflected  in  thee.  0 abide  in  Christ : the 
power  of  the  flesh  will  be  mortified,  the  impatience 
and  self-will  of  tlie  old  nature  be  humbled,  to  make 
place  for  the  meekness  and  gentleness  of  Christ.  A 
believer  may  pass  through  much  affliction,  and 


IN  AFFLICTION  AND  TRIAL. 


137 


yet  secure  but  little  blessing  from  it  all.  Abiding  in 
Christ  is  the  secret  of  securing  all  that  the  Father 
meant  the  chastisement  to  bring  us. 

Abide  in  Christ : in  Him  thou  shalt  find  sure  and 
abundant  consolation.  With  the  afflicted  comfort  is 
often  first,  and  the  profit  of  the  affliction  second. 
Th  - Father  loves  us  so,  that  with  Him  our  real  and 
abiding  profit  is  His  first  object,  but  He  does  not 
forget  to  comfort  too.  When  He  comforts  it  is  that 
He  may  turn  the  bleeding  heart  to  Himself  to 
receive  the  blessing  in  fellowship  with  Him ; when 
He  refuses  comfort,  His  object  is  still  the  same.  It 
is  in  making  us  partakers  of  His  holiness  that  true 
comfort  comes.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  the  Comforter, 
not  only  because  He  can  suggest  comforting  thoughts 
of  God’s  love,  but  far  more,  because  He  makes  us 
holy,  and  brings  us  into  close  union  with  Christ  and 
with  God.  He  teaches  us  to  abide  in  Christ ; and 
because  God  is  found  there,  the  truest  comfort  will 
come  there  too.  In  Christ  the  heart  of  the  Father 
is  revealed,  and  higher  comfort  there  cannot  be  than 
to  rest  in  the  Father’s  bosom.  In  Him  the  fulness 
of  the  Divine  love  is  revealed,  combined  with  the 
tenderness  of  a mother’s  compassion, — and  what  can 
comfort  like  this  ? In  Him  thou  seest  a thousand 
times  more  given  thee  than  thou  hast  lost ; seest 
how  God  only  took  from  thee  that  thou  mightest 
have  room  to  take  from  Him  what  is  so  much 
better.  In  Him  suffering  is  consecrated,  and  be- 
comes the  foretaste  of  eternal  glory ; in  suffering  it 
is  that  the  Spirit  of  God  and  of  glory  rests  on  us 


138 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


Believer!  woiildest  thou  have  comfort  in  affliction? 
— Abide  in  Christ. 

Abide  in  Christ : so  wilt  thou  hear  much  fruit. 
Not  a vine  is  planted  but  tlie  owner  tliinks  of  the 
fruit,  and  the  fruit  only.  Other  trees  may  be 
planted  for  ornament,  for  the  shade,  for  the  wood, — 
the  vine  only  for  the  fruit.  And  of  each  vine  the 
husbandman  is  continually  asking  liow  it  can  bring 
fortli  more  fruit,  much  fruit.  Believer ! abide  in 
Christ  in  times  of  affliction,  and  thou  shalt  bring 
forth  more  fruit.  The  deeper  experience  of  Christ’s 
tenderness  and  the  Father’s  love  will  urge  thee  to 
live  to  His  glory.  The  surrender  of  self  and  self- 
will  in  suffering  will  prepare  thee  to  sympathize 
with  the  misery  of  others,  while  the  softening  that 
comes  of  chastisement  will  fit  thee  for  becoming,  as 
Jesus  was,  the  servant  of  all.  The  thought  of  the 
Father’s  desire  for  fruit  in  the  pruning  will  lead 
thee  to  yield  thyself  afresh,  and  more  than  ever,  to 
Him,  and  to  say  that  now  thou  hast  but  one  object 
in  life, — making  known  and  conveying  His  wonderful 
love  to  fellow-men.  Thou  shalt  learn  the  blessed  art 
of  forgetting  self,  and,  even  in  affliction,  availing 
thyself  of  thy  separation  from  ordinary  life  to 
plead  for  the  welfare  of  others.  Dear  Christian, 
in  affliction  abide  in  Christ.  When  thou  seest  it 
coming,  meet  it  in  Christ ; when  it  is  come,  feel 
that  thou  art  more  in  Christ  than  in  it,  for  He  is 
nearer  thee  than  affliction  ever  can  be  ; when  it  is 
passing,  still  abide  in  Him.  And  let  the  one 
thought  of  the  Saviour,  as  He  speaks  of  the  pruning, 


IN  AFFLICTION  AND  TRIAL. 


139 


and  the  one  desire  of  the  Father,  as  He  does  the 
pruning,  be  thine  too : ‘ Every  branch  that  beareth 
fruit,  He  purgeth,  that  it  may  bring  forth  more 
fruit' 

So  shall  thy  times  of  affliction  become  thy  times 
of  choicest  blessing, — preparation  for  richest  fruit- 
fulness. Led  into  closer  fellowship  with  the  Son  of 
God,  and  deeper  experience  of  His  love  and  grace, — 
established  in  the  blessed  confidence  that  He  and 
thou  entirely  belong  to  each  other, — more  completely 
satisfied  with  Him  and  more  wholly  given  up  to 
Him  than  ever  before, — with  thine  own  will  crucified 
afresh,  and  the  heart  brought  into  deeper  harmony 
with  God’s  will, — thou  shalt  be  a vessel  cleansed, 
meet  for  the  Master’s  use,  prepared  for  every  good 
work.  True  believer  ! 0 try  and  learn  the  blessed 
truth,  that  in  affliction  thy  first,  thy  only,  thy 
blessed  calling  is  to  abide  in  Christ.  Be  much 
with  Him  alone.  Beware  of  the  comfort  and  the 
distractions  that  friends  so  often  bring.  Let  Jesus 
Christ  Himself  be  thy  chief  companion  and  com- 
forter. Delight  thyself  in  the  assurance  that  closer 
union  with  Him,  and  more  abundant  fruit  through 
Him,  are  sure  to  be  the  results  of  trial,  because  it 
is  the  Husbandman  Himself  who  is  pruning,  and 
will  ensure  the  fulfilment  of  the  desire  of  the  soul 
that  yields  itself  lovingly  to  His  work. 


140 


ABIDE  IN  CJIUIST: 


Twentieth  Day. 


O- 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST, 

Efjat  gou  mng  bear  tnuclj  JFrutt. 


‘ He  that  abideth  in  me,  and  I in  him,  the  same  bringeth  forth 
much  fruit.  Herein  is  my  Father  glorified,  that  ye  bear  much 
fruit.’ — John  xv.  5,  8. 


E all  know  what  fruit  is.  The  produce  of 


* ^ the  branch,  by  which  men  are  refreshed  and 
nourished.  The  fruit  is  not  for  the  branch,  but  for 
those  who  come  to  carry  it  away.  As  soon  as  the 
fruit  is  ripe,  the  branch  gives  it  off,  to  commence 
afresh  its  work  of  beneficence,  and  anew  prepare  its 
fruit  for  another  season.  A fruit-bearing  tree  lives 
not  for  itself,  but  wholly  for  those  to  whom  its  fruit 
brings  refreshment  and  life.  And  so  the  branch 
exists  only  and  entirely  for  the  sake  of  the  fruit. 
To  make  glad  the  heart  of  the  husbandman  is  its 
object,  its  safety,  and  its  glory. 

Beautiful  image  of  the  believer  abiding  in  Christ ! 
He  not  only  grows  in  strength,  the  union  with  the 
Vine  becoming  ever  surer  and  firmer,  he  also  bears 
fruit,  yea,  much  fruit.  He  has  the  power  to  offer 
that  to  others  of  which  they  can  eat  and  live. 
Amid  all  who  surround  him  he  becomes  like  a tree 


THAT  YOU  MAY  BEAR  MUCH  FRUIT. 


141 


of  life,  of  which  they  can  taste  and  be  refreshed. 
He  is  in  his  circle  a centre  of  life  and  of  blessing, 
and  that  simply  because  he  abides  in  Christ,  and 
receives  from  Him  the  Spirit  and  the  life  of  which 
he  can  impart  to  others.  Learn  thus,  if  thou 
wouldest  bless  others,  to  abide  in  Christ,  and  that 
if  thou  dost  abide,  thou  shalt  surely  bless.  As 
surely  as  the  branch  abiding  in  a fruitful  vine 
bears  fruit,  so  surely,  yea,  much  more  surely,  will  a 
soul  abiding  in  Christ  with  His  fulness  of  blessing 
be  made  a blessing. 

The  reason  of  this  is  easily  understood.  If  Christ, 
the  heavenly  Vine,  has  taken  the  believer  as  a branch, 
then  He  has  pledged  Himself,  in  the  very  nature  of 
things,  to  supply  the  sap  and  spirit  and  nourish- 
ment to  make  it  bring  forth  fruit.  ' From  Me  is 
thy  fruit  found : ’ these  words  derive  new  meaning 
from  our  parable.  The  soul  need  but  have  one  care, 
— to  abide  closely,  fully,  wholly.  He  will  give  the 
fruit.  He  works  all  that  is  needed  to  make  the 
believer  a blessing. 

Abiding  in  Him,  you  receive  of  Him  His  Spirit 
of  love  and  compassion  towards  sinners,  making  you 
desirous  to  seek  their  good.  By  nature  the  heart 
is  full  of  selfishness.  Even  in  the  believer,  his  own 
salvation  and  happiness  are  often  too  much  his 
only  object.  But  abiding  in  Jesus,  you  come  into 
contact  with  His  infinite  love ; its  fire  begins  to 
burn  within  your  heart ; you  see  the  beauty  of  love  ; 
you  learn  to  look  upon  loving  and  serving  and 
saving  your  fellow  - men  as  the  highest  privi- 
lege a disciple  of  Jesus  can  have.  Abiding  in 


142 


ABIDE  IN  CimiST  : 


Christ,  your  heart  learns  to  feel  the  wretchedness 
of  the  sinner  still  in  darkness,  and  the  fearfulness 
of  the  dishonour  done  to  your  God.  With  Christ  ^ 
you  begin  to  bear  the  burden  of  souls,  the  burden 
of  sins  not  your  own.  As  you  are  more  closely 
united  to  Him,  somewhat  of  that  passion  for  souls 
which  urged  Him  to  Calvary  begins  to  breathe 
within  you,  and  you  are  ready  to  follow  His  foot- 
steps, to  forsake  the  heaven  of  your  own  happiness, 
and  devote  your  life  to  win  the  souls  Christ  has 
taught  you  to  love.  The  very  spirit  of  the  Vine  is 
love  ; the  spirit  of  love  streams  into  the  branch  that 
abides  in  Him. 

The  desire  to  be  a blessing  is  but  the  beginning. 
As  you  undertake  to  work,  you  speedily  become 
conscious  of  your  own  weakness  and  the  difficulties 
in  your  way.  Souls  are  not  saved  at  your  bidding. 
You  are  ready  to  be  discouraged,  and  to  relax  your 
effort.  But  abiding  in  Christ,  you  receive  new 
courage  and  strength  for  the  work.  Believing  what 
Christ  teaches,  that  it  is  He  who  through  you  will 
give  His  blessing  to  the  world,  you  understand  that 
you  are  but  the  feeble  instrument  through  which 
the  hidden  power  of  Christ  does  its  work,  that  His 
strength  may  be  perfected  and  made  glorious  in 
your  weakness.  It  is  a great  step  when  the  believer 
fully  consents  to  his  own  weakness,  and  the  abiding 
consciousness  of  it,  and  so  works  faithfully  on,  fully 
assured  that  his  Lord  is  working  through  him.  He 
rejoices  that  the  excellence  of  the  power  is  of  God, 
and  not  of  us.  llealizing  his  oneness  with  his  Lord, 


THAT  YOU  MAY  BEAR  MUCH  FRUIT. 


143 


he  considers  no  longer  his  own  weakness,  but  counts 
on  the  power  of  Him  of  whose  hidden  working 
within  he  is  assured.  It  is  this  secret  assurance 
that  gives  a brightness  to  his  look,  and  a gentle 
firmness  to  his  tone,  and  a perseverance  to  all  his 
efforts,  which  of  themselves  are  great  means  of  in- 
fluencing those  he  is  seeking  to  win.  He  goes  forth 
in  the  spirit  of  one  to  whom  victory  is  assured ; for 
this  is  the  victory  that  overcometh,  even  our  faith. 
He  no  longer  counts  it  humility  to  say  that  God 
cannot  bless  his  unworthy  efforts.  He  claims  and 
expects  a blessing,  because  it  is  not  he,  but  Christ 
in  him,  that  worketh.  The  great  secret  of  abiding 
in  Christ  is  the  deep  conviction  that  we  are  nothing, 
and  He  is  everything.  As  this  is  learnt,  it  no  longer 
seems  strange  to  believe  that  our  weakness  need  be 
no  hindrance  to  His  saving  power.  The  believer 
who  yields  himself  wholly  up  to  Christ  for  service 
in  the  spirit  of  a simple,  childlike  trust,  will 
assuredly  bring  forth  much  fruit.  He  will  not  fear 
even  to  claim  his  share  in  the  wonderful  promise : 
* He  that  belie veth  on  me,  the  works  that  I do  shall 
he  do  also  ; and  greater  works  than  these  shall  he  do, 
because  I go  to  the  Father.’  He  no  longer  thinks 
that  He  cannot  have  a blessing,  and  must  be  kept 
unfruitful,  that  he  may  be  kept  humble.  He  sees 
that  the  most  heavily  laden  brandies  bow  the  lowest 
down.  Abiding  in  Christ,  he  has  yielded  assent  to 
the  blessed  agreement  between  the  Vine  and  the 
branches,  that  of  the  fruit  all  the  glory  shall  be  to 
the  Husbandman,  the  blessed  Father. 


144 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST : 


Let  US  learn  two  lessons.  If  we  arc  abiding  in 

O 

Jesus,  let  us  begin  to  work.  Let  us  first  seek  to 
influence  those  around  us  in  daily  life.  Let  us 
accept  distinctly  and  joyfully  our  holy  calling,  that 
we  are  even  now  to  live  as  tlie  servants  of  the  love 
of  Jesus  to  our  fellow-nien.  Our  daily  life  must  have 
for  its  object  the  making  of  an  impression  favourable 
to  Jesus.  When  you  look  at  the  branch,  you  see  at 
once  the  likeness  to  the  Vine.  We  must  live  so 
that  somewhat  of  the  holiness  and  the  gentleness  of 
Jesus  may  shine  out  in  us.  We  must  live  to  repre- 
sent Him.  As  was  the  case  with  Him  when  on 
earth,  the  life  must  prepare  the  way  for  the  teaching. 
What  the  Church  and  the  world  both  need  is  this : 
men  and  women  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  of  love, 
who,  as  the  living  embodiments  of  the  grace  and 
power  of  Christ,  witness  for  Him,  and  for  His  power 
on  behalf  of  those  who  believe  in  Him.  Living  so, 
with  our  hearts  longing  to  have  Jesus  glorified  in  the 
souls  He  is  seeking  after,  let  us  offer  ourselves  to 
Him  for  direct  work.  There  is  work  in  our  own 
home.  There  is  work  among  the  sick,  the  poor, 
and  the  outcast.  There  is  work  in  a hundred  dif- 
ferent paths  which  the  Spirit  of  Christ  opens  up 
through  those  who  allow  themselves  to  be  led  by 
Llim.  There  is  work  perhaps  for  us  in  ways  that 
have  not  yet  been  opened  up  by  others.  Abiding 
in  Christ,  let  us  work.  Let  us  work,  not  like 
those  who  are  content  if  they  now  follow  the 
fasliion,  and  take  some  share  in  religious  work. 
No;  let  us  work  as  those  who  are  growing  liker  to 


THAT  YOU  MAY  BEAR  MUCH  FRUIT. 


115 


Christ,  because  they  are  abiding  in  Him,  and  who, 
like  Him,  count  the  work  of  winning  souls  to  the 
Father  the  very  joy  and  glory  of  heaven  begun 
on  earth. 

And  the  second  lesson  is : If  you  work,  abide  in 
Christ.  This  is  one  of  the  blessings  of  work  if 
done  in  the  right  spirit, — it  will  deepen  your  union 
with  your  blessed  Lord.  It  will  discover  your  weak- 
ness, and  throw  you  back  on  His  strength.  It  will 
stir  you  to  much  prayer ; and  in  prayer  for  others  is 
the  time  when  the  soul,  forgetful  of  itself,  uncon- 
sciously grows  deeper  into  Christ.  It  will  make 
clearer  to  you  the  true  nature  of  branch-life ; its 
absolute  dependence,  and  at  the  same  time  its 
glorious  sufficiency, — independent  of  all  else,  because 
dependent  on  Jesus.  If  you  work,  abide  in  Christ. 
There  are  temptations  and  dangers.  Work  for  Christ 
has  sometimes  drawn  away  from  Christ,  and  taken 
the  place  of  fellowship  with  Him.  Work  can  some- 
times give  a form  of  godliness  without  the  power. 
As  you  work,  abide  in  Christ.  Let  a living  faith 
in  Christ  working  in  you  be  the  secret  spring  of  all 
your  work ; this  will  inspire  at  once  humility  and 
courage.  Let  the  Holy  Spirit  of  Jesus  dwell  in 
you  as  the  Spirit  of  His  tender  compassion  and 
His  Divine  power.  Abide  in  Christ,  and  offer 
every  facuky  of  your  nature  freely  and  unre- 
servedly to  Him,  to  sanctify  it  for  Himself.  If 
Jesus  Christ  is  really  to  work  through  us,  it  needs 
an  entire  consecration  of  ourselves  to  Him,  daily 
renewed.  But  we  understand  now,  just  this  is 

K 


146 


ABIDE  IN  ClIiaST  : 


abiding  in  Him  ; just  this  it  is  that  constitutes 
our  highest  privilege  and  happiness.  To  be  a 
branch  bearing  much  fruit, — nothing  less,  nothing 
more, — be  this  our  only  joy. 


so  WILL  YOU  HAVE  :0WER  IN  PRAYER.  147 


Twenty-First  Day. 

ABIDE  IN  CHEIST, 

So  bjtll  20X1  ija&f  ^Poijjer  m pragcr* 

M f ye  abide  in  me,  and  my  words  abide  in  you,  ye  shall  ask  what 
ye  will,  and  it  shall  be  done  unto  you.’ — John  xv.  7. 

PEAYEE  is  both  one  of  the  means  and  one  of 
the  fruits  of  union  to  Christ.  As  a means  it 
is  of  unspeakable  importance.  All  the  actings  of 
faith,  all  the  pleadings  of  desire,  all  the  yearnings 
after  a fuller  surrender,  all  the  confessions  of  short- 
coming and  of  sin,  all  the  exercises  in  which  the 
soul  gives  up  self  and  clings  to  Christ,  find  their 
utterance  in  prayer.  In  each  meditation  on  Abiding 
in  Christ,  as  some  new  feature  of  what  Scripture 
teaches  concerning  this  blessed  life  is  apprehended, 
the  first  impulse  of  the  believer  is  at  once  to  look 
up  to  the  Father  and  pour  out  the  heart  into  His, 
and  ask  from  Him  the  full  understanding  and  the 
full  possession  of  what  he  has  been  shown  in  the 
Word.  And  it  is  the  believer,  who  is  not  content 
with  this  spontaneous  expression  of  his  hope,  but 
who  takes  time  in  secret  prayer  to  wait  until  he  has 
received  and  laid  hold  of  what  he  has  seen,  who  will 


148 


ABIDE  IN  CUBIST  : 


really  grow  strong  in  Christ.  However  feel)le  the 
soul’s  first  abiding,  its  prayer  will  be  heard,  and  it 
will  find  prayer  one  of  the  great  means  of  abiding 
more  abundantly. 

But  it  is  not  so  much  as  a means,  but  as  a fruit 
of  the  abiding,  that  the  Saviour  mentions  it  in  tlie 
Parable  of  the  Vine.  He  does  not  think  so  much 
of  prayer — as  we,  alas  ! too  exclusively  do — as  a 
means  of  getting  blessing  for  ourselves,  but  as  one 
of  the  chief  channels  of  influence  by  which,  through 
us  as  fellow-workers  with  God,  the  blessings  of 
Christ’s  redemption  are  to  be  dispensed  to  the 
world.  He  sets  before  Himself  and  us  the  glory  of 
the  Father,  in  the  extension  of  His  kingdom,  as  the 
object  for  which  we  have  been  made  branches ; and 
He  assures  us  that  if  we  but  abide  in  Him,  we  shall 
be  Israels,  having  power  with  God  and  man.  Ours 
shall  be  the  effectual,  fervent  prayer  of  the  righteous 
man,  availing  much,  like  Elijah’s  for  ungodly  Israel. 
Such  prayer  will  be  the  fruit  of  our  abiding  in 
Him,  and  the  means  of  bringing  forth  much  fruit. 

To  the  Christian  who  is  not  abiding  wholly  in 
Jesus,  the  difficulties  connected  with  prayer  are 
often  so  great  as  to  rob  him  of  the  comfort  and  the 
strength  it  could  bring.  Under  the  guise  of  humility, 
he  asks  how  one  so  unworthy  could  expect  to  have 
influence  with  the  Holy  One.  He  thinks  of  God’s 
sovereignty.  His  perfect  wisdom  and  love,  and 
cannot  see  how  his  prayer  can  really  have  any  dis- 
tinct effect.  He  prays,  but  it  is  more  because  he 
cannot  rest  without  prayer,  than  from  a loving  faith 


so  WILL  YOU  HAVE  POWER  IN  PRAYER.  149 


that  the  prayer  will  be  heard.  But  what  a blessed 
release  from  such  questions  and  perplexities  is  given 
to  the  soul  who  is  truly  abiding  in  Christ  ! He 
realizes  increasingly  how  it  is  in  tlie  real  spiritual 
unity  with  Christ  that  we  are  accepted  and  heard. 
The  union  with  the  Son  of  God  is  a life  union  : we 
are  in  very  deed  one  with  Him, — our  prayer  ascends 
as  His  prayer.  It  is  because  we  abide  in  Him 
that  we  can  ask  what  we  will,  and  it  is  given 
to  us. 

There  are  many  reasons  why  this  must  be  so. 
One  is,  that  abiding  in  Christ,  and  having  His  words 
abiding  in  us,  teach  us  to  pray  in  accordance  vnth 
the  ivill  of  God,  With  the  abiding  in  Christ  our 
self-will  is  kept  down,  the  thoughts  and  wishes  of 
nature  are  brought  into  captivity  to  the  thoughts  and 
wishes  of  Christ ; like-mindedness  to  Christ  grows 
upon  us, — all  our  working  and  willing  become  trans- 
formed into  harmony  with  His.  There  is  deep  and 
oft-renewed  heart-searching  to  see  whether  the 
surrender  has  indeed  been  entire ; fervent  prayer  to 
the  heart-searching  Spirit  that  nothing  may  be  kept 
back.  Everything  is  yielded  to  the  power  of  His 
life  in  us,  that  it  may  exercise  its  sanctifying  in- 
fluence even  on  ordinary  wishes  and  desires.  His 
Holy  Spirit  breathes  through  our  whole  being ; and 
without  our  being  conscious  how,  our  desires,  as  the 
breathings  of  the  Divine  life,  are  in  conformity  with 
the  Divine  will,  and  are  fulfilled.  Abiding  in  Christ 
renews  and  sanctifies  the  will : we  ask  what  we  will, 
and  it  is  given  to  us. 


150 


ABIDK  IN  CIIUIST  : 


In  close  connection  with  this  is  the  thought,  that 
the  abiding  in  Christ  teaclies  the  believer  in  prayer 
only  to  seek  the  glory  of  God,  In  promising  to  answer 
prayer,  Christ’s  one  thought  (see  John  xiv.  13)  is 
this,  ‘ that  the  Father  may  he  glorified  in  the  Son!  In 
His  intercession  on  eartli  (John  xvii.),  this  was  His 
one  desire  and  plea ; in  His  intercession  in  heaven, 
it  is  still  His  great  object.  As  tlie  believer  abides 
in  Christ,  the  Saviour  breathes  tliis  desire  into  him. 
The  thought.  Only  the  glory  of  God,  becomes  more 
and  more  the  keynote  of  the  life  liid  in  Christ.  At 
first  this  subdues,  and  quiets,  and  makes  the  soul 
almost  afraid  to  dare  entertain  a wish,  lest  it  should 
not  be  to  the  Father’s  glory.  But  when  once  its 
supremacy  has  been  accepted,  and  everything  yielded 
to  it,  it  comes  with  mighty  power  to  elevate  and 
enlarge  the  heart,  and  open  it  to  the  vast  field  open 
to  the  glory  of  God.  Abiding  in  Christ,  the  soul 
learns  not  only  to  desire,  but  spiritually  to  discern 
what  will  be  for  God’s  glory  ; and  one  of  the  first 
conditions  of  acceptable  prayer  is  fulfilled  in  it 
when,  as  the  fruit  of  its  union  with  Christ,  the  whole 
mind  is  brought  into  harmony  with  that  of  the  Son 
as  He  said  : ' Father,  glorify  Thy  name.’ 

Once  more  : Abiding  in  Christ,  we  can  fully  avail 
ourselves  of  the  name  of  Christ  Asking  in  the  name 
of  another  means  that  tliat  other  authorized  me  and 
sent  me  to  ask,  and  wants  to  be  considered  as  ask- 
ing himself : he  wants  the  favour  done  to  him. 
Believers  often  try  to  think  of  the  name  of  Jesus 
and  His  merits,  and  to  argue  themselves  into  the 


so  WILL  YOU  HAVE  POWER  IN  PRAYER.  151 


faith  that  they  will  be  heard,  while  they  painfully 
feel  how  little  they  have  of  the  faith  of  His  name. 
They  are  not  living  wholly  in  Jesus’  name  ; it  is  only 
when  they  begin  to  pray  that  they  want  to  take  up 
that  name  and  use  it.  This  cannot  be.  The  promise 
' Whatsoever  ye  ash  in  my  namel  may  not  be  severed 
from  the  command,  ‘ Whatsoever  ye  do,  do  all  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.’  If  the  name  of 
Christ  is  to  be  wholly  at  my  disposal,  so  that  I may 
have  the  full  command  of  it  for  all  I will,  it  must  be 
because  I first  put  myself  wholly  at  His  disposal,  so 
that  He  has  free  and  full  command  of  me.  It  is 
the  abiding  in  Christ  that  gives  the  right  and  power 
to  use  His  name  with  confidence.  To  Christ  the 
Father  refuses  nothing.  Abiding  in  Christ,  I come 
to  the  Father  as  one  with  Him.  His  righteousness 
is  in  me.  His  Spirit  is  in  me ; the  Father  sees  the 
Son  in  me,  and  gives  me  my  petition.  It  is  not — 
as  so  many  think — by  a sort  of  imputation  that 
the  Father  looks  upon  us  as  if  we  were  in  Christ, 
though  we  are  not  in  Him.  No ; the  Father  wants 
to  see  us  living  in  Him : thus  shall  our  prayer 
really  have  power  to  prevail.  Abiding  in  Christ 
not  only  renews  the  will  to  pray  aright,  but  secures 
the  full  power  of  His  merits  to  us. 

Again : Abiding  in  Christ  also  works  in  us  the 
faith  that  alone  can  obtain  a.n  answer,  ‘According 
to  your  faith  be  it  unto  you : ’ this  is  one  of  the 
laws  of  the  kingdom.  ‘ Believe  that  ye  receive,  and 
ye  shall  have.’  This  faith  rests  upon,  and  is  rooted 
in  the  Word ; but  is  something  infinitely  higher 


152 


ABIDE  IN  CIIRLST: 


tlian  the  mere  logical  conclusion  : God  lias  promised, 
1 shall  obtain.  No  ; faith,  as  a spiritual  act,  depends 
upon  the  words  abiding  in  us  as  living  powers,  and 
so  upon  the  state  of  the  whole  inner  life.  Without 
fasting  and  prayer  (Mark  ix.  29),  without  humility 
and  a spiritual  mind  (John  v.  44),  without  a whole- 
hearted obedience  (1  John  iii.  22),  there  cannot  be 
this  living  faith.  But  as  the  soul  abides  in  Christ, 
and  grows  into  the  consciousness  of  its  union  with 
Him,  and  sees  how  entirely  it  is  He  who  makes  it 
and  its  petition  acceptable,  it  dares  to  claim  an 
answer  because  it  knows  itself  one  with  Him.  It 
was  by  faith  it  learnt  to  abide  in  Him  ; as  the  fruit 
of  that  faith,  it  rises  to  a larger  faith  in  all  that 
God  has  promised  to  be  and  to  do.  It  learns  to 
breathe  its  prayers  in  the  deep,  quiet,  confident 
assurance : We  know  we  have  the  petition  we  ask 
of  Him. 

Abiding  in  Christ,  further,  keeps  us  in  the  place 
where  the  answer  can  be  bestowed.  Some  believers 
pray  earnestly  for  blessing;  but  when  God  comes 
and  looks  for  them  to  bless  them,  they  are  not  to  be 
found.  They  never  thought  that  the  blessing  must 
not  only  be  asked,  but  waited  for,  and  received  in 
prayer.  Abiding  in  Christ  is  the  place  for  receiving 
answers.  Out  of  Him  the  answer  would  be  danger- 
ous,— we  should  consume  it  on  our  lusts  (Jas.  iv.  3). 
Many  of  the  richest  answers — say  for  spiritual 
grace,  or  for  power  to  work  and  to  bless — can  only 
come  in  the  shape  of  a larger  experience  of  what 
God  makes  Christ  to  us.  The  fulness  is  IN  Him  : 


so  WILL  YOU  HAVE  POWER  IN  PRAYER.  153 


abiding  in  Him  is  the  condition  of  power  in  prayer, 
because  the  answer  is  treasured  up  and  bestowed  in 
Him. 

Believer,  abide  in  Christ,  for  there  is  the  school  of 
prayer, — mighty,  effectual,  answer-bringing  prayer. 
Abide  in  Him,  and  thou  shalt  learn  what  to  so 
many  is  a mystery : That  the  secret  of  the  prayer  of 
faith  is  the  life  of  faith, — the  life  that  abides  in 
Christ  alone. 


154 


AmOE  IN  CHRIST  i 


Twenty-Second  Day. 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST, 

S[nti  in  iLobe. 

* As  the  Father  hath  loved  me,  so  have  I loved  you  : abide  ye  in 
my  love.* — John  xv.  9.  ^ 

"DLESSED  Lord,  enlighten  our  eyes  to  see  aright 
the  glory  of  this  wondrous  word.  Open  to 
our  meditation  the  secret  chamber  of  Thy  love,  that 
our  souls  may  enter  in,  and  find  there  their  everlast- 
ing dwelling-place.  How  else  shall  we  know  aught 
of  a love  that  passeth  knowledge  ? 

Before  the  Saviour  speaks  the  word  that  invites 
us  to  abide  in  His  love,  He  first  tells  us  what  that 
love  is.  What  He  says  of  it  must  give  force  to  His 
invitation,  and  make  the  thought  of  not  accepting  it 
an  impossibility:  ‘As  the  Father  hath  loved  me, 
so  I have  loved  you  ! ’ 

^ As  the  Father  hath  loved  me/  How  shall  we 


^ It  is  difficult  to  understand  why  in  our  English  Bible  one 
Greek  word  should  in  the  first  sixteen  verses  of  John  xv.  have  had 
three  different  translations : abide  in  vcr.  4,  continue  in  ver.  9, 
and  remain  in  vers.  11  jind  16.  The  Kevised  Version  has  of  course 
kept  the  one  word,  abide. 


AND  IN  HIS  LOVE. 


155 


be  able  to  form  right  conceptions  of  this  love  ? Lord, 
teach  us.  God  is  love.  Love  is  His  very  being. 
Love  is  not  an  attribute,  but  the  very  essence  of  His 
nature,  the  centre  round  which  all  His  glorious 
attributes  gather.  It  was  because  He  was  love  that 
He  was  the  Father,  and  that  there  was  a Son.  Love 
needs  an  object  to  whom  it  can  give  itself  away,  in 
whom  it  can  lose  itself,  with  whom  it  can  make 
itself  one.  Because  God  is  love,  there  must  be  a 
Father  and  a Son.  The  love  of  the  Father  to  the 
Son  is  that  Divine  passion  with  which  He  delights 
in  the  Son,  and  speaks,  ‘ My  beloved  Son,  in  whom 
I am  well  pleased.’  The  Divine  love  is  as  a burning 
fire ; in  all  its  intensity  and  infinity  it  has  but  one 
object  and  but  one  joy,  and  that  is  the  only- 
begotten  Son.  When  we  gather  together  all  the 
attributes  of  God, — His  infinity,  His  perfection.  His 
immensity.  His  majesty,  His  omnipotence, — and  con- 
sider them  but  as  the  rays  of  the  glory  of  His  love, 
we  still  fail  in  forming  any  conception  of  what  that 
love  must  be.  It  is  a love  that  passeth  knowledge. 

And  yet  this  love  of  God  to  His  Son  must  serve, 
0 my  soul,  as  the  glass  in  which  thou  art  to  learn 
how  Jesus  loves  thee.  As  one  of  His  redeemed 
ones,  thou  art  His  delight,  and  all  His  desire  is  to 
thee,  with  the  longing  of  a love  which  is  stronger 
than  death,  and  which  many  waters  cannot  quench. 
His  heart  yearns  after  thee,  seeking  thy  fellowship 
and  thy  love.  Were  it  needed.  He  could  die  again 
to  possess  thee.  As  the  Father  loved  the  Son,  and 
could  not  live  without  Him,  could  not  be  God  the 


156 


ABIDE  IN  CIIKIbT  : 


blessed  without  Him, — so  Jesus  loves  thee.  His 
life  is  bound  up  in  thine ; thou  art  to  Him  inex- 
pressibly more  indispensable  and  precious  than  thou 
ever  canst  know.  Thou  art  one  with  Himself.  'As 
tlie  Fatlier  hath  loved  me,  so  have  I loved  you.’ 
What  a love ! 

It  is  an  eternal  love.  From  before  the  founda- 
tion of  the  world — God’s  Word  teaches  us  this — 
the  purpose  had  been  formed  that  Christ  should  be 
the  Head  of  His  Church,  that  He  should  have  a 
body  in  which  His  glory  could  be  set  forth.  In 
that  eternity  He  loved  and  longed  for  those  who  had 
been  given  Him  by  the  Father ; and  when  He  came 
and  told  His  disciples  that  Fie  loved  them,  it  was 
indeed  not  with  a love  of  earth  and  of  time,  but 
with  the  love  of  eternity.  And  it  is  with  that  same 
infinite  love  that  His  eye  still  rests  upon  each  of  us 
here  seeking  to  abide  in  Him,  and  in  each  breathing 
of  that  love  there  is  indeed  the  power  of  eternity. 

' I have  loved  thee  with  an  everlasting  love.’ 

It  is  a perfect  love.  It  gives  all,  and  holds 
nothing  back.  ' The  Father  loveth  the  Son,  and 
hath  given  all  things  into  His  hand.’  And  just  so 
Jesus  loves  His  own:  all  He  has  is  theirs.  When 
it  was  needed.  He  sacrificed  His  throne  and  crown 
for  thee  : He  did  not  count  His  own  life  and  blood 
too  dear  to  give  for  thee.  His  righteousness.  His 
Spirit,  His  glory,  even  His  throne,  all  are  thine. 
This  love  iiolds  nothing,  nothing  back,  but,  in  a 
manner  whicli  no  human  mind  can  fathom,  makes 
thee  one  with  itself.  0 wondrous  love  1 to  love 


AND  IN  HIS  LOVE. 


157 


us  even  as  the  Father  loved  Him,  and  to  offer  us 
this  love  as  our  everyday  dwelling. 

It  is  a gentle  and  most  tender  love.  As  we 
think  of  the  love  of  the  Father  to  the  Son,  we  see 
in  the  Son  everything  so  infinitely  worthy  of  that 
love.  When  we  think  of  Christ’s  love  to  us,  there 
is  nothing  but  sin  and  unworthiness  to  meet  the  eye. 
And  the  question  comes.  How  can  that  love  within 
the  bosom  of  the  Divine  life  and  its  perfections  be 
compared  to  the  love  that  rests  on  sinners  ? Can 
it  indeed  be  the  same  love  ? Blessed  be  God,  we 
know  it  is  so.  The  nature  of  love  is  always  one, 
however  different  the  objects.  Christ  knows  of 
no  other  law  of  love  but  that  with  which  His 
Father  loved  Him.  Our  wretchedness  only  serves 
to  call  out  more  distinctly  the  beauty  of  love, 
such  as  could  not  be  seen  even  in  Heaven.  With 
the  tenderest  compassion  He  bows  to  our  weakness, 
with  patience  inconceivable  He  bears  with  our  slow- 
ness, with  the  gentlest  loving-kindness  He  meets 
our  fears  and  our  follies.  It  is  the  love  of  the 
Father  to  the  Son,  beautified,  glorified,  in  its  con- 
descension, in  its  exquisite  adaptation  to  our  needs. 

And  it  is  an  unchangeable  love.  ‘ Having  loved 
His  own  which  were  in  the  world.  He  loved  them 
to  the  end.’  ‘ The  mountains  shall  depart,  and  the 
hills  be  removed,  but  my  kindness  shall  not  depart 
from  thee.’  The  promise  with  which  it  begins  its 
work  in  the  soul  is  this : ‘ I shall  not  leave  thee, 
until  I have  done  that  which  I have  spoken  to  thee 
of.’  And  just  as  our  wretchedness  was  what  first 
drew  it  to  us,  so  the  sin,  with  which  it  is  so  often 


158 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


grieved,  and  which  may  well  cause  us  to  fear  and 
doubt,  is  but  a new  motive  for  it  to  hold  to  us  all 
the  more.  And  why  ? We  can  give  no  reason  but 
this  : ‘ As  the  Father  hatli  loved  me,  so  I have  loved 
you.’ 

And  now,  does  not  this  love  suggest  the  motive, 
the  measure,  and  the  means  of  that  surrender  by 
which  we  yield  ourselves  wholly  to  abide  in  Him  ? 

This  love  surely  supplies  a motive.  Only  look 
and  see  how  this  love  stands  and  pleads  and  prays. 
Gaze,  0 gaze  on  the  Divine  form,  tlie  eternal  glory, 
the  heavenly  beauty,  the  tenderly  pleading  gentle- 
ness of  the  crucified  love,  as  it  stretches  out  its 
pierced  hands  and  says,  ' Oh,  wilt  thou  not  abide 
with  me?  wilt  thou  not  come  and  abide  in  me?’  It 
points  thee  up  to  the  eternity  of  love  whence  it 
came  to  seek  thee.  It  points  thee  to  the  Cross,  and 
all  it  has  borne  to  prove  the  reality  of  its  affection, 
and  to  win  thee  for  itself.  It  reminds  thee  of  all  it 
has  promised  to  do  for  thee,  if  thou  wilt  but  throw 
thyself  unreservedly  into  its  arms.  It  asks  thee 
whether,  so  far  as  thou  hast  come  to  dwell  with  it 
and  taste  its  blessedness,  it  hath  not  done  w^ell  by 
thee.  And  with  a Divine  authority,  mingled  with 
such  an  inexpressible  tenderness  that  one  might 
almost  think  he  heard  the  tone  of  reproach  in  it, 
it  says,  ‘ Soul,  as  the  Father  hath  loved  me,  so  I 
liave  loved  you : abide  in  my  love.’  Surely  there 
can  be  but  one  answer  to  sucli  pleading : Lord  flesus 
Christ ! here  I am.  Henceforth  Tliy  love  shall  be  the 
only  home  of  my  soul : in  Thy  love  alone  will  I abide. 


AND  IN  HIS  LOVE. 


159 


That  love  is  not  only  the  motive,  but  also  the 
measure,  of  our  surrender  to  abide  in  it.  Love  gives 
all,  but  asks  all.  It  does  so,  not  because  it  grudges 
us  aught,  but  because  without  this  it  cannot  get 
possession  of  us  to  fill  us  with  itself.  In  the  love 
of  the  Father  and  the  Son,  it  was  so.  In  the  love 
of  Jesus  to  us,  it  was  so.  In  our  entering  into  His 
love  to  abide  there,  it  must  be  so  too  ; our  surrender 
to  it  must  have  no  other  measure  than  its  surrender 
to  us.  0 that  we  understood  how  the  love  that 
calls  us  has  infinite  riches  and  fulness  of  joy  for  us, 
and  that  what  we  give  up  for  its  sake  will  be  re- 
warded a hundredfold  in  this  life  ! Or  rather,  would 
that  we  understood  that  it  is  a love  with  a height 
and  a depth  and  a length  and  a breadth  that  passes 
knowledge ! How  all  thought  of  sacrifice  or  surrender 
would  pass  away,  and  our  souls  be  filled  with  wonder 
at  the  unspeakable  privilege  of  being  loved  with 
such  a love,  of  being  allowed  to  come  and  abide  in 
it  for  ever. 

And  if  doubt  again  suggest  the  question:  But  is  it 
possible,  can  I always  abide  in  His  love  ? listen  how 
that  love  itself  supplies  the  only  means  for  the  abiding 
in  Him : It  is  faith  in  that  love  which  will  enable 
us  to  abide  in  it.  If  this  love  be  indeed  so  Divine, 
such  an  intense  and  burning  passion,  then  surely  I 
can  depend  on  it  to  keep  me  and  to  hold  me  fast. 
Then  surely  all  my  unworthiness  and  feebleness  can 
be  no  hindrance.  If  this  love  be  indeed  so  Divine, 
with  infinite  power  at  its  command,  I surely  have  a 
right  to  trust  that  it  is  stronger  than  my  weakness  ; 


ICO 


ABIDE  IN  CUBIST  : 


and  that  with  its  almiglity  arm  it  will  clasp  me  to 
its  bosom,  and  suffer  me  to  go  out  no  more.  I see 
how  this  is  the  one  thing  my  God  requires  of  me. 
Treating  me  as  a reasonable  being  endowed  with  the 
wondrous  power  of  willing  and  clioosing,  He  can- 
not force  all  this  blessedness  on  me,  but  waits  till  I 
give  the  willing  consent  of  the  heart.  And  the 
token  of  this  consent  He  has  in  His  great  kindness 
ordered  faith  to  be, — that  faith  by  which  utter  sin- 
fulness casts  itself  into  the  arms  of  love  to  be  saved, 
and  utter  weakness  to  be  kept  and  made  strong. 

0 Infinite  Love ! Love  with  which  the  Father 
loved  the  Son  ! Love  with  which  the  Son  loves  us  ! 

1 can  trust  thee,  I do  trust  thee.  0 keep  me 
abiding  in  Thyself, 


AS  CHRIST  IN  THE  FATHER, 


16i 


Twenty-T hird  Day. 


0- 


ABIDE  IN  CHEIST, 

01s  Cijrtst  in  ti)e  iFatfjcr. 


‘ As  the  Father  hath  loved  me,  so  I have  loved  you.  Abide  in  my 
love,  even  as  I abide  in  my  Father’s  love.’ — John  xv.  9,  10. 


HPtlST  had  taught  His  disciples  that  to  abide 


^ in  Him  was  to  abide  in  His  love.  The  hour 
of  His  suffering  is  nigh,  and  He  cannot  speak  much 
more  to  them.  They  would  doubtless  have  many 
questions  to  ask  as  to  what  that  abiding  in  H-m 
and  His  love  is.  He  anticipates  and  meets  thair 
wishes,  and  gives  them  His  own  life  as  the  best 
exposition  of  His  command.  As  example  and  rule 
for  their  abiding  in  His  love,  they  have  to  look  to 
His  abiding  in  the  Father  s love.  In  the  light  of 
His  union  with  the  Father,  their  union  with  Him 
will  become  clear.  His  life  in  the  Father  is  the  law 
of  their  life  in  Him, 

The  thought  is  so  high  that  we  can  hardly  take 
it  in,  and  is  yet  so  clearly  revealed,  that  we  dare 
not  neglect  it.  Do  we  not  read  in  John  vi.  (ver.  57), 
As  I live  by  the  Father,  even  so  he  that  eateth  me, 
he  shall  live  by  me  ’ ? And  the  Saviour  prays  so 


102 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


distinctly  (John  xvii.  22),  'that  they  maybe  one 
even  as  we  are  one  : I in  them,  and  Thou  in  me/ 
The  blessed  union  of  Christ  with  the  Father  and 
His  life  in  Him  is  the  only  rule  of  our  thoughts 
and  expectations  in  regard  to  our  living  and  abiding 
in  Him. 

Think  first  of  the  origin  of  that  life  of  Christ  in 
the  Father.  They  were  one — one  in  life  and  one  in 
love.  In  this  His  abiding  in  the  Father  had  its 
root.  Though  dwelling  here  on  earth.  He  knew 
that  He  was  One  with  the  Father ; that  the  Fathei*’s 
life  was  in  Him,  and  His  love  on  Him.  Without 
this  knowledge,  abiding  in  the  Father  and  His  love 
would  have  been  utterly  impossible.  And  it  is 
thus  only  that  thou  canst  abide  in  Christ  and  His 
love.  Know  that  thou  art  one  with  Him — one  in 
the  unity  of  nature.  By  His  birth  He  became  man, 
and  took  thy  nature  that  He  might  be  one  with 
thee.  By  thy  new  birth  thou  becomest  one  with 
Him,  and  art  made  partaker  of  His  Divine  nature. 
The  link  that  binds  thee  to  Him  is  as  real  and  close 
as  bound  Him  to  the  Father — the  link  of  a Divine 
life.  Thy  claim  on  Him  is  as  sure  and  always 
availing  as  was  His  on  the  Father.  Thy  union 
with  Him  is  as  close. 

And  as  it  is  the  union  of  a Divine  life,  it  is  one 
of  an  infinite  love.  In  His  life  of  humiliation  on 
earth  He  tasted  the  blessedness  and  strength  of 
knowing  Himself  the  object  of  an  infinite  love,  and 
of  dwelling  in  it  all  the  day ; from  His  own  f 
example  He  invites  tliee  to  learn  that  herein  lies 


AS  CHRIST  IN  THE  FATHER. 


163 


the  secret  of  rest  and  joy.  Thou  art  one  with 
Him : yield  thyself  now  to  be  loved  by  Him ; let 
thine  eyes  and  heart  open  to  the  love  that  shines 
and  presses  in  on  thee  on  every  side.  Abide  in 
His  love. 

Think  then  too  of  the  mode  of  that  abiding  in  the 
Father  and  His  love  which  is  to  be  the  law  of  thy 
life.  ‘ I kept  my  Father’s  commandments  and  abide 
in  His  love.’  His  was  a life  of  subjection  and 
dependence,  and  yet  most  blessed.  To  our  proud 
self-seeking  nature  the  thought  of  dependence  and 
subjection  suggests  the  idea  of  humiliation  and 
servitude ; in  the  life  of  love  which  the  Son  of  God 
lived,  and  to  which  He  invites  us,  they  are  the 
secret  of  blessedness.  The  Son  is  not  afraid  of 
losing  aught  by  giving  up  all  to  the  Father,  for  He 
knows  that  the  Father  loves  Him,  and  can  have  no 
interest  apart  from  that  of  the  beloved  Son.  He 
knows  that  as  complete  as  is  the  dependence  on  His 
part  is  the  communication  on  the  part  of  the  Father 
of  all  He  possesses.  Hence  when  He  had  said, 

‘ The  Son  can  do  nothing  of  Himself,  except  He 
see  the  Father  do  it,’  He  adds  at  once,  ‘Whatsoever 
^things  the  Father  doeth,  them  also  doeth  the  Son 
likewise  : for  the  Father  loveth  the  Son,  and  showeth 
Him  all  things  that  Himself  doeth.’  The  believer 
who  studies  this  life  of  Christ  as  the  pattern  and  the 
^promise  of  what  his  may  be,  learns  to  understand 
how  the  ‘ Without  me  ye  can  do  nothing,’  is  but  the 
forerunner  of  ‘ I can  do  all  things  through  Christ 
who  strengtheneth  me.’  We  learn  to  glory  in 


164 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


infirmities,  to  take  pleasure  in  necessities  and  dis- 
tresses for  Christ’s  sake  ; for  ‘ when  I am  weak,  then 
am  I strong.’  He  rises  above  the  ordinary  tone  in 
which  so  many  Christians  speak  of  their  weakness, 
while  they  are  content  to  abide  there,  because  he  has 
learnt  from  Christ  that  in  the  life  of  Divine  love 
the  emptying  of  self  and  the  sacrifice  of  our  will  is 
the  surest  way  to  have  all  we  can  wish  or  will. 
Dependence,  subjection,  self-sacrifice,  are  for  the 
Christian  as  for  Christ  the  blessed  path  of  life. 
Like  as  Christ  lived  through  and  in  the  Father,  even 
so  the  believer  through  and  in  Christ. 

Think  of  the  glory  of  this  life  of  Christ  in  the 
Father’s  love.  Because  He  gave  Himself  wholly  to 
the  Father’s  will  and  glory,  the  Father  crowned  Him 
with  glory  and  honour.  He  acknowledged  Him  as 
His  only  representative ; He  made  Him  partaker  of 
His  power  and  authority ; He  exalted  Him  to  share 
His  throne  as  God.  And  even  so  will  it  be  with 
him  who  abides  in  Christ’s  love.  If  Christ  finds  us 
willing  to  trust  ourselves  and  our  interests  to  His 
love,  if  in  that  trust  we  give  up  all  care  for  our  own 
will  and  honour,  if  we  make  it  our  glory  to  exercise 
and  confess  absolute  dependence  on  Him  in  all  things, 
if  we  are  content  to  have  no  life  but  in  Him,  He  will 
do  for  us  what  the  Fatlur  did  for  Him.  He  will  lay 
of  His  glory  on  us : As  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
is  glorified  in  us,  we  are  glorified  in  Him  (2  Thess.  i. 
12).  He  acknowledges  us  as  His  true  and  worthy 
representatives  ; He  entrusts  us  with  His  power ; He 
admits  us  to  His  counsels,  as  He  allows  our  interces- 


AS  CHEIST  IN  THE  FATHEK. 


165 


sion  to  influence  His  rule  of  His  Church  and  the 
world  ; He  makes  us  the  vehicles  of  His  authority 
and  His  influence  over  men.  His  Spirit  knows  no 
other  dwelling  than  such,  and  seeks  no  other  instru- 
ments for  His  Divine  work.  Blessed  life  of  love  for 
the  soul  that  abides  in  Christ’s  love,  even  as  He  in 
the  Father’s  ! 

Believer  ! abide  in  the  love  of  Christ.  Take  and 
study  His  relation  to  the  Father  as  pledge  of  what 
thine  own  can  become.  As  blessed,  as  mighty,  as 
glorious  as  was  His  life  in  the  Father,  can  thine  be 
in  Him.  Let  this  truth,  accepted  under  the  teach- 
ing of  the  Spirit  in  faith,  remove  every  vestige  of 
fear,  as  if  abiding  in  Christ  were  a burden  and  a 
work.  In  the  light  of  His  life  in  the  Father,  let  it 
henceforth  be  to  thee  a blessed  rest  in  the  union 
with  Him,  an  overflowing  fountain  of  joy  and 
strength.  To  abide  in  His  love,  His  mighty,  saving, 
keeping,  satisfying  love,  even  as  He  abode  in  the 
Father’s  love, — surely  the  very  greatness  of  our  call- 
ing teaches  us  that  it  never  can  be  a work  we  have 
to  perform ; it  must  be  with  us  as  with  Him,  the^ 
result  of  the  spontaneous  outflowing  of  a life  from 
within,  and  the  mighty  inworking  of  the  love  from 
above.  What  we  only  need  is  this : to  take  time 
and  study  the  Divine  image  of  this  life  of  love  set 
before  us  in  Christ.  We  need  to  have  our  souls 
still  unto  God,  gazing  upon  that  life  of  Christ  in 
the  Father  until  the  light  from  heaven  falls  on  it, 
and  we  hear  the  living  voice  of  our  Beloved 
whispering  gently  to  us  personally  the  teaching  H§ 


LG6 


ABIDE  IN  CIIKIST  : 


gave  to  the  disciples.  Soul,  be  still  and  listen ; 
let  every  tliought  be  hushed  until  the  word  lias 
entered  thy  heart  too : ‘ Child  ! I love  thee,  even 
as  the  Father  loved  me.  Abide  in  niy  love,  even 
as  I abide  in  the  Father’s  love.  Thy  life  on  earth 
in  me  is  to  be  the  perfect  counterpart  of  mine  in 
the  Father.’ 

And  if  the  thought  will  sometimes  come : Surely 
this  is  too  high  for  us ; can  it  be  really  true  ? only 
remember  that  the  greatness  of  the  privilege  is 
justified  by  the  greatness  of  the  object  He  has  in 
view.  Christ  was  the  revelation  of  the  Father  on 
earth.  He  could  not  be  this  if  there  were  not  the 
most  perfect  unity,  the  most  complete  communica- 
tion of  all  the  Father  had  to  the  Son.  He  could 
be  it  because  the  Father  loved  Him,  and  He  abode 
in  that  love.  Believers  are  the  revelation  of  Christ 
on  earth.  They  cannot  be  this  unless  there  be 
perfect  unity,  so  that  the  world  can  know  that  He 
loves  them  and  has  sent  them.  But  they  can  be  it 
if  Christ  loves  them  with  the  infinite  love  that 
gives  itself  and  all  it  has,  and  if  they  abide  in  that 
love. 

Lord,  show  us  Thy  love.  Make  us  with  all  the 
saints  to  know  the  love  that  passeth  knowledge. 
Lord,  show  us  in  Thine  own  blessed  life  what  it  is 
to  abide  in  Thy  love.  And  the  sight  shall  so  win 
us,  that  it  will  be  impossible  for  us  one  single  hour 
to  seek  any  other  life  tlian  the  life  of  abiding  in 
Thy  love, 


OBEYING  Ills  COMMANDMENTS. 


167 


Twenty-Fourth  Day. 

ABIDE  IN'  CHEIST, 

ll^ts  Commantments. 

* If  ye  keep  my  commandments,  ye  shall  abide  in  my  love  ; even 
as  I kept  my  Father’s  commandments,  and  abide  in  His  love.’ — 
John  xv.  10. 

TTOW  clearly  we  are  taught  here  the  place 
which  good  works  are  to  occupy  in  the  life 
of  the  believer ! Christ  as  the  beloved  Son  was 
in  the  Father’s  love.  He  kept  His  commandments, 
and  so  He  abode  in  the  love.  So  the  believer, 
without  works,  receives  Christ  and  is  in  Him  ; he 
keeps  the  commandments,  and  so  abides  in  the  love. 
When  the  sinner,  in  coming  to  Christ,  seeks  to  pre- 
pare himself  by  works,  the  voice  of  the  Gospel 
sounds,  ' Not  of  ivorks!  When  once  in  Christ,  lest 
the  flesh  should  abuse  the  word,  ‘Not  of  works,’  the 
Gospel  lifts  its  voice  as  loud : ‘ Created  in  Christ 
Jesus  unto  good  works'  (see  Eph.  ii.  9,  10).  To 
the  sinner  out  of  Christ,  works  may  be  his  greatest 
hindrance,  keeping  him  from  the  union  with  the 
Saviour.  To  the  believer  in  Christ,  works  are 
strength  and  blessing,  for  by  them  faith  is  made 
perfect  (Jas.  ii.  22),  the  uoion  with  Christ  is 


168 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


cemented,  and  the  soul  established  and  more  deeplj 
rooted  in  the  love  of  God.  ‘ If  a man  love  me,  he 
will  keep  my  words, and  my  Father  will  love  him.’  'If 
ye  keep  my  commandments,  ye  shall  abide  in  my  love.’ 

The  connection  between  this  keeping  the  com- 
mandments and  the  abiding  in  Christ’s  love  is 
easily  understood.  Our  union  with  Jesus  Christ  is 
not  a thing  of  the  intellect  or  sentiment,  but  a real 
vital  union  in  heart  and  life.  The  holy  life  of 
Jesus,  with  His  feelings  and  disposition,  is  breathed 
into  us  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  believer’s  calling 
is  to  think  and  feel  and  will  just  what  Jesus 
thought  and  felt  and  willed.  He  desires  to  be 
partaker  not  only  of  the  grace  but  also  of  the  holi- 
ness of  His  Lord ; or  rather,  he  sees  that  holiness 
is  the  chief  beauty  of  grace.  To  live  the  life  of 
Christ  means  to  him  to  be  delivered  from  the  life 
of  self ; the  will  of  Christ  is  to  him  the  only  path 
of  liberty  from  the  slavery  of  his  own  evil  self-will. 

To  the  ignorant  or  slothful  believer  there  is  a great 
difference  between  the  promises  and  commands  of 
Scripture.  The  former  he  counts  his  comfort  and 
his  food ; but  to  him  who  is  really  seeking  to  abide 
in  Christ’s  love,  the  commands  become  no  less 
precious.  As  much  as  the  promises  they  are  the 
revelation  of  the  Divine  love,  guides  into  the 
deeper  experience  of  the  Divine  life,  blessed  helpers 
in  the  path  to  a closer  union  with  the  Lord.  He 
sees  how  the  liarmony  of  our  will  with  His  will  is 
one  of  the  chief  elements  of  our  fellowship  with  Him. 
The  will  is  the  central  fitculty  in  the  Divine  as  in 


OBEYING  HIS  COMMANDMENTS. 


169 


the  human  being.  The  will  of  God  is  the  power 
that  rules  the  whole  moral  as  well  as  the  natural 
world.  How  could  there  be  fellowship  with  Him 
without  delight  in  His  will  ? It  is  only  as  long  as 
salvation  is  to  the  sinner  nothing  but  a personal 
safety,  that  he  can  be  careless  or  afraid  of  the  doing 
of  God’s  will.  No  sooner  is  it  to  him  what  Scripture 
and  the  Holy  Spirit  reveal  it  to  be, — the  restoration 
to  communion  with  God  and  conformity  to  Him, — 
than  he  feels  that  there  is  no  law  more  natural  or 
more  beautiful  than  this : Keeping  Christ’s  com- 
mandments the  way  to  abide  in  Christ’s  love.  His 
inmost  soul  approves  when  he  hears  the  beloved 
Lord  make  the  larger  measure  of  the  Spirit,  with  the 
manifestation  of  the  Father  and  the  Son  in  the 
believer,  entirely  dependent  upon  the  keeping  of 
His  commandments  (John  xiv.  15,  16,  21,  23). 

There  is  another  thing  that  opens  to  him  a 
deeper  insight  and  secures  a still  more  cordial 
acceptance  of  this  truth.  It  is  this,  that  in  no  other 
way  did  Christ  Himself  abide  in  the  Father’s  love. 
In  the  life  which  Christ  led  upon  earth,  obedience 
was  a solemn  reality.  The  dark  and  awful  power 
that  led  man  to  revolt  from  his  God,  came  upon 
Him  too,  to  tempt  Him.  To  Him  as  man  its  offers 
of  self-gratification  were  not  matters  of  indifierence ; 
to  refuse  them.  He  had  to  fast  and  pray.  He 
suffered,  being  tempted.  He  spoke  very  distinctly 
of  not  seeking  to  do  His  own  will,  as  a surrender 
He  had  continually  to  make.  He  made  the  keeping 
of  the  Fathers  commandments  the  distinct  object 


170 


ABIDE  IN  CIIRI8T  : 


of  1 fis  life,  and  so  abode  in  Tlis  love.  Docs  Tie  not  tell 
us,  ‘ I do  nothing  of  myself,  but  as  the  Father  taught 
me,  I speak  these  things.  And  He  tliat  sent  me  is 
with  me  ; He  hatli  not  left  me  alone  ; for  I do  always 
the  things  that  are  pleasing  to  Him.’  He  thus 
opened  to  us  the  only  path  to  the  blessedness  of  a 
life  on  earth  in  tlie  love  of  heaven  ; and  when,  as 
from  our  vine,  His  Spirit  flows  in  the  branches, 
this  keeping  the  commands  is  one  of  the  surest  and 
liighest  elements  of  the  life  He  inspires. 

lleliever ! wouldest  thou  abide  in  Jesus,  be  very 
careful  to  keep  Flis  commandments.  Keep  them  in 
the  love  of  thine  heart.  Be  not  content  to  have  them 
in  the  Bible  for  reference,  but  have  them  transferred 
by  careful  study,  by  meditation  and  by  prayer,  by  a 
loving  acceptance,  by  the  Spirit’s  teaching,  to  the 
fleshy  tables  of  the  heart.  Be  not  content  with  the 
knowledge  of  some  of  the  commands,  those  most 
commonly  received  among  Christians,  while  others  lie 
unknown  and  neglected.  Surely,  with  thy  Kew 
Covenant  privileges,  thou  wouldest  not  be  behind  the 
Old  Testament  saints  who  spake  so  fervently  : ' I 
esteem  all  thy  precepts  concerning  all  things  to  be 
right.’  Be  assured  that  there  is  still  much  of  thy 
Lord’s  will  that  thou  dost  not  yet  understand.  Make 
l^aul’s  prayer  for  the  Colossians  thine  for  thyself 
and  all  believers,  'that  you  might  be  filled  with  the 
knowledge  of  His  will  in  all  wisdom  and  spiritual 
understanding;’  and  that  of  \ restling  Epaphras, 
‘that  you  may  stand  i)erfect  and  complete  in  all  the 
will  of  God/  lleiueiuber  that  this  is  ojie  of  the 


OBEYING  Ills  COMMANDMENTS. 


171 


great  elements  of  spiritual  growth — a deeper  insight 
into  the  will  of  God  concerning  you.  Imagine  not 
that  entire  consecration  is  the  end — it  is  only  the 
beginning — of  the  truly  holy  life.  See  how  Paul, 
after  having  (Eom.  xii.  1)  taught  believers  to  lay 
themselves  upon  the  altar,  whole  and  holy  burnt- 
offerings  to  their  God,  at  once  proceeds  (ver.  2)  to 
tell  them  what  the  true  altar-life  is  : being  ever  more 
and  more  ' renewed  in  their  mind  to  prove  what  is 
the  good  and  perfect  and  acceptable  will  of  God.’ 
The  progressive  renewal  of  the  Holy  Spirit  leads  to 
growing  like-mindedness  to  Christ ; then  comes  a 
delicate  power  of  spiritual  perception, — a holy 
instinct, — by  which  the  soul  ‘ quick  of  understanding 
(iiiarg.  quick  of  scent)  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord.’  knows 
to  recognise  the  meaning  and  the  application  of  the 
Lord’s  commands  to  daily  life  in  a way  that  remains 
hidden  to  the  ordinary  Christian.  Keep  them  dwell- 
ing richly  within  thee,  hide  them  within  thy  heart, 
and  thou  shalt  taste  the  blessedness  of  the  man 
whose  ‘ delight  is  in  the  law  of  the  Lord,  and  in 
His  law  doth  he  meditate  day  and  night.’  Love  will 
assimilate  into  thy  inmost  being  the  commands  as 
food  from  heaven.  They  will  no  longer  come  to  thee 
as  a law  standing  outside  and  against  thee,  but  as 
the  living  power  which  has  transformed  thy  will  into 
perfect  harmony  with  all  thy  Lord  doth  require. 

And  keep  them  in  the  obedience  of  thy  life.  It 
has  been  thy  solemn  vow — has  it  not  ? — no  longer 
to  tolerate  even  a single  sin : ' I have  sworn,  and 
I will  perform  it,  that  I will  keep  Thy  righteous 


172 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


judgments/  Labour  earnestly  in  prayer  to  stand 
perfect  and  complete  in  all  the  will  of  God.  Ask 
earnestly  for  tlie  discovery  of  every  secret  sin — of 
anything  that  is  not  in  perfect  harmony  with  the 
will  of  God.  Walk  up  to  the  light  thou  hast  faith- 
fully and  tenderly,  yielding  thyself  in  an  unreserved 
surrender  to  obey  all  that  the  Lord  hath  spoken. 
When  Israel  took  that  vow  (Ex.  xix.  8,  xxiv.  7), 
it  was  only  to  break  it  all  too  soon.  The  New 
Covenant  gives  the  grace  to  make  the  vow  and  to 
keep  it  too  (Jer.  xxxi.).  Be  careful  of  disobedience 
even  in  little  things.  Disobedience  dulls  the  con- 
science, darkens  the  soul,  deadens  our  spiritual 
energies, — therefore  keep  the  commandments  of 
Christ  with  implicit  obedience.  Be  a soldier  that 
asks  for  nothing  but  the  orders  of  the  commander. 

And  if  even  for  a moment  the  commandments 
appear  grievous,  just  remember  whose  they  are. 
They  are  the  commandments  of  Him  who  loves 
thee.  They  are  all  love,  they  come  from  His 
love,  they  lead  to  His  love.  Each  new  surrender 
to  keep  the  commandments,  each  new  sacrifice  in 
keeping  them,  leads  to  deeper  union  with  the 
will,  the  spirit,  and  the  love  of  the  Saviour.  The 
double  recompense  of  reward  shall  be  thine, — a 
fuller  entrance  into  the  mystery  of  His  love, — a 
fuller  conformity  to  His  own  blessed  life.  And 
tliou  shalt  learn  to  prize  these  words  as  among  thy 
choicest  treasures:  ‘ If  ye  keep  my  commandments, 
ye  sliall  abide  in  my  love,  even  as  I have  kept  my 
Lather  s conmiandmeuts  and  abide  iu  Jlis  love/ 


THAT  YOUIl  JOY  MAY  BE  FULL. 


173 


Twenty-Fifth  Day. 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST, 


^Tfjat  gour  Sog  mag  Ic  full. 


‘These  things  have  I spoken  unto  you,  that  my  joy  might  abide  in 
you,  and  that  your  joy  might  be  full.’ — John  xv.  11. 


BIDING  fully  in  Christ  is  a life  of  exquisite 


and  overflowing  happiness.  As  Christ  gets 
more  complete  possession  of  the  soul,  it  enters  into 
the  joy  of  its  Lord.  His  own  joy,  the  joy  of  heaven, 
becomes  its  own,  and  that  in  full  measure,  and  as 
an  ever-abiding  portion.  Just  as  joy  on  earth  is 
everywhere  connected  with  the  vine  and  its  fruit,  so 
joy  is  an  essential  characteristic  of  the  life  of  the 
believer  who  fully  abides  in  Christ,  the  heavenly 


Vine. 


We  all  know  the  value  of  joy.  It  alone  is  the 
proof  that  what  we  have  really  satisfies  the  heart. 
As  long  as  duty,  or  self-interest,  or  other  motives 
influence  me,  men  cannot  know  what  the  object  of 
my  pursuit  or  possession  is  really  worth  to  me. 
But  when  it  gives  me  joy,  and  they  see  me  delight 
in  it,  they  know  that  to  me  at  least  it  is  a treasure. 
Hence  there  is  nothing  so  attractive  as  joy,  no 


174 


ABIDE  IN  CIIKIST  : 


preaching  so  persuasive  as  tlie  sight  of  hearts  made 
glad.  Just  this  makes  gladness  such  a mighty 
element  in  the  Christian  character:  there  is  no 
proof  of  the  reality  of  God’s  love  and  tlie  blessing 
He  bestows,  which  men  so  soon  feel  tlie  force  of,  as 
when  the  joy  of  God  overcomes  all  the  trials  of  life. 
And  for  the  Christian’s  own  welfare,  joy  is  no  less 
indispensable : the  joy  of  the  Lord  is  his  strength  ; 
confidence,  and  courage,  and  patience  find  their 
inspiration  in  joy.  With  a heart  full  of  joy  no  work 
can  weary,  and  no  burden  can  depress ; God  Him- 
self is  strength  and  song. 

Let  us  hear  what  the  Saviour  says  of  the  joy  of 
abiding  in  Him.  He  promises  us  His  own  joy : 
‘ My  joy.’  As  the  whole  ji^^^rable  refers  to  the  life 
His  disciples  should  have  in  Him  when  ascended  to 
heaven,  the  joy  is  that  of  His  resurrection  life.  This 
is  clear  from  those  other  words  of  His  (John  xvi.  22): 
' I will  see  you  again,  and  your  heart  shall  rejoice, 
and  your  joy  shall  no  man  take  from  you.’  It  was 
only  with  the  resurrection  and  its  glory  that  the 
power  of  the  never-changing  life  began,  and  only  in  it 
that  the  never-ceasing  joy  could  have  its  rise.  With 
it  was  fulfilled  the  word : ' Therefore  thy  God  hath 
anointed  thee  with  the  oil  of  gladness  above  thy 
fellows.’  The  day  of  His  crowning  was  the  day  of 
tlie  gladness  of  His  heart.  That  joy  of  His  was  the 
joy  of  a work  fully  and  for  ever  completed,  the  joy 
of  the  Lather’s  bosom  regained,  and  the  j^'y  of  souls 
redeemed.  These  are  the  elements  of  His  joy ; of 
them  the  abiding  in  Him  makes  us  partakers.  The 


THAT  YOUR  JOY  MAY  BE  FULL. 


175 


believer  shares  so  fully  His  victory  and  His  perfect 
redemption,  that  his  faith  can  without  ceasing  sing 
the  conqueror’s  song : ‘ Thanks  be  to  God,  who 
always  causeth  me  toTriumph.’  As  the  fruit  of  this, 
there  is  the  joy  of  the  undisturbed  dwelling  in  the 
light  of  the  Father’s  love, — not  a cloud  to  intervene 
if  the  abiding  be  unbroken.  And  then,  with  this 
joy  in  the  love  of  the  Father,  as  a love  received,  the 
joy  of  the  love  of  souls,  as  love  going  out  and 
rejoicing  over  the  lost.  Abiding  in  Christ,  pene- 
trating into  the  very  depths  of  His  life  and  heart, 
seeking  for  the  most  perfect  oneness,  these  the  three 
streams  of  His  joy  flow  into  our  hearts.  Whether 
we  look  backward  and  see  the  work  He  has  done, 
or  upward  and  see  the  reward  He  has  in  the  Father’s 
love  that  passeth  knowledge,  or  forward  in  the  con- 
tinual accessions  of  joy  as  sinners  are  brought  home. 
His  joy  is  ours.  With  our  feet  on  Calvary,  our  eyes 
on  the  Father’s  countenance,  and  our  hands  helping 
sinners  home,  we  have  His  joy  as  our  own. 

And  then  He  speaks  of  this  joy  as  ahicling, — a 
joy  that  is  never  to  cease  or  to  be  interrupted 
for  a moment : ‘ That  my  joy  iniglit  abide  in  you.’ 
‘ Your  joy  no  man  taketh  from  you.’  This  is  what 
many  Christians  cannot  understand.  Their  view  of 
the  Christian  life  is  that  it  is  a succession  of  changes, 
now  joy  and  now  sorrow.  And  they  appeal  to  the 
experiences  of  a man  like  the  Apostle  Paul,  as  a 
proof  of  how  much  there  may  be  of  weeping,  and 
sorrow,  and  suffering.  They  have  not  noticed  how 
just  Paul  gives  the  strongest  evidence  as  to  this 


176 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


unceasing  joy.  He  understood  the  paradox  of  the 
Christian  life  as  the  combination  at  one  and  the 
same  moment  of  all  the  bitterness  of  earth  and 
all  the  joy  of  heaven.  ‘ As  sorrowful,  yet  always 
rejoicing:'  these  precious  golden  words  teach  us 
how  the  joy  of  Christ  can  overrule  the  sorrow  of  the 
world,  can  make  us  sing  while  we  weep,  and  can 
maintain  in  the  heart,  even  when  cast  down  by 
disappointment  or  difficulties,  a deep  consciousness 
of  a joy  that  is  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory. 
There  is  but  one  condition  : ‘ I will  see  you  again, 
and  your  heart  shall  rejoice,  and  your  joy  shall  no 
man  take  from  you.’  The  presence  of  Jesus,  dis- 
tinctly manifested,  cannot  but  give  joy.  Abiding  in 
Him  consciously,  how  can  the  soul  but  rejoice  and  be 
glad  ? Even  when  weeping  for  the  sins  and  the  souls 
of  others,  there  is  the  fountain  of  gladness  springing 
up  in  the  faith  of  His  power  and  love  to  save. 

And  this  His  own  joy  abiding  with  us,  He  wants 
to  be  full.  Of  the  full  joy  our  Saviour  spoke  thrice 
on  the  last  night.  Once  here  in  the  Parable  of  the 
Vine : ‘ These  things  have  I spolceii  unto  you  that  your 
joy  might  h^fiill ; ' and  every  deeper  insight  into  the 
wonderful  blessedness  of  being  the  branch  of  such 
a Vine  confirms  His  Word.  Then  He  connects  it 
(John  xvi.  24)  with  our  prayers  being  answered:  * Ash 
and  ye  shall  receive,  that  your  joy  may  be  full,'  To 
the  spiritual  mind,  answered  prayer  is  not  only  a 
means  of  obtaining  certain  blessings,  but  something 
infinitely  higher.  It  is  a token  of  our  fellowship 
with  tlie  Eather  and  the  Son  in  heaven,  of  their 


THAT  YOUR  JOY  MAY  BE  FULL. 


177 


delight  in  us,  and  our  having  been  admitted  and 
having  had  a voice  in  that  wondrous  interchange  of 
love  in  which  the  Father  and  the  Son  hold  counsel, 
and  decide  the  daily  guidance  of  the  children  on 
earth.  To  a soul  abiding  in  Christ,  that  longs  for 
manifestations  of  His  love,  and  that  understands  to 
take  an  answer  to  prayer  in  its  true  spiritual  value, 
as  a response  from  the  throne  to  all  its  utterances 
of  love  and  trust,  the  joy  which  it  brings  is  truly 
unutterable.  The  word  is  found  true  : ' Ask  and  ye 
shall  receive,  and  your  joy  shall  be  full.’  And  then 
the  Saviour  says,  in  His  high-priestly  prayer  to  the 
Father  (John  xvii.  13),  ' These  things  I speak,  that 
they  might  have  my  joy  fulfilled  in  themselves.’  It 
is  the  sight  of  the  great  High  Priest  entering  the 
Father’s  presence  for  us,  ever  living  to  pray  and 
carry  on  His  blessed  work  in  the  power  of  an  end- 
less life,  that  removes  every  possible  cause  of  fear 
or  doubt,  and  gives  us  the  assurance  and  experience 
of  a perfect  salvation.  Let  the  believer  who  seeks, 
according  to  the  teaching  of  John  xv.,  to  possess 
the  full  joy  of  abiding  in  Christ,  and  according  to 
John  xvi.,  the  full  joy  of  prevailing  prayer,  press 
forward  to  John  xvii.  Let  him  there  listen  to  those 
wondrous  words  of  intercession  spoken,  that  his  joy 
might  be  full.  Let  him,  as  he  listens  to  those  words, 
learn  the  love  that  even  now  pleads  for  him  in  heaven 
without  ceasing,  the  glorious  objects  for  which  it  is 
pleading,  and  which  through  its  all-prevailing  plead- 
ing are  hourly  being  realized,  and  Christ’s  joy  will 
be  fulfilled  in  him. 


M 


178 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


Christ’s  own  joy,  abiding  joy,  fulness  of  joy, — 
such  is  the  portion  of  the  believer  who  abides  in 
Christ.  Why,  0 why  is  it  that  this  joy  has  so 
little  power  to  attract  ? The  reason  simply  is  : Men, 
yea,  even  God’s  children,  do  not  believe  in  it. 
Instead  of  the  abiding  in  Christ  being  looked  upon 
as  the  happiest  life  that  ever  can  be  led,  it  is 
regarded  as  a life  of  self-denial  and  of  sadness. 
Tliey  forget  that  the  self-denial  and  the  sadness 
are  owing  to  the  not  abiding,  and  that  to  those  who 
once  yield  themselves  unreservedly  to  abide  in 
Christ  as  a bright  and  blessed  life,  their  faith  comes 
true, — the  joy  of  the  Lord  is  theirs.  The  difficulties 
all  arise  from  the  want  of  the  full  surrender  to  a 
full  abiding. 

Child  of  God,  who  seekest  to  abide  in  Christ, 
remember  what  the  Lord  says.  At  the  close  of  the 
Parable  of  the  Vine  He  adds  these  precious  words  : 
‘ These  things  have  I spoken  unto  you,  that  my  joy 
might  abide  in  you,  and  that  your  joy  might  be 
full.’  Claim  the  joy  as  part  of  the  branch  life, — not 
the  first  or  chief  part,  but  as  the  blessed  proof  of  the 
sufficiency  of  Christ  to  satisfy  every  need  of  the 
soul.  Be  happy.  Cultivate  gladness.  If  there  are 
times  when  it  comes  of  itself,  and  the  heart  feels  the 
unutterable  joy  of  the  Saviour’s  presence,  praise  God 
for  it,  and  seek  to  maintain  it.  If  at  other  times 
feelings  are  dull,  and  the  experience  of  the  joy  not 
such  as  thou  couldest  wish  it,  still  praise  God  for 
the  life  of  nnutterable  blessedness  to  which  thou 
hast  been  redeemed.  In  this,  too,  the  word  holds 


THAT  YOUE  JOY  MAY  BE  FULL. 


179 


good : ^ According  to  your  faith  be  it  unto  you/ 
As  thou  claimest  all  the  other  gifts  in  Jesus,  ever 
claim  this  one  too, — not  for  thine  own  sake,  hut 
for  His  and  the  Father  s glory.  ‘ My  joy  in  you  ; ’ 
‘ that  my  joy  may  abide,  in  you  ; ’ ' my  joy  fulfilled 
in  themselves,’ — these  are  Jesus’  own  words. 
It  is  impossible  to  take  Him  wholly  and  heartily, 
and  not  to  get  His  joy  too.  Therefore,  ‘ Eejoice  in 
the  Lord  alway  \ and  again  I say,  Eejoice.’ 


180 


ABIDE  IN  CUEIST; 


Twenty-Sixth  Day. 


ABIDE  m CHRIST, 

tn  ILobe  to  Brctfjrm. 


* This  is  my  commandment,  That  ye  love  one  another,  as  I have 
loved  you.’ — John  xv.  12. 


IKE  AS  the  Father  loved  me,  even  so  I have 


loved  you ; like  as  I have  loved  you,  even 
so  love  ye  one  another.’  God  became  man ; 
Divine  love  began  to  run  in  the  channel  of  a 
human  heart ; it  becomes  the  love  of  man  to  man. 
The  love  that  fills  heaven  and  eternity  is  ever 
to  be  daily  seen  here  in  the  life  of  earth  and  of 


time. 


‘ This  is  my  commandment,’  the  Saviour  says, 
' That  ye  love  one  another,  as  I have  loved  you.’ 
He  sometimes  spoke  of  commandments,  but  the 
love,  which  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  law,  is  the  all- 
including  one,  and  therefore  is  called  His  command- 
ment— the  new  commandment.  It  is  to  be  the  great 
evidence  of  the  reality  of  the  New  Covenant,  of  the 
power  of  the  new  life  revealed  in  Jesus  Christ.  It 
is  to  be  the  one  convincing  and  indisputable  token 
of  discipleship : ' Ilcrcly  shall  all  men  know  that  yc 


AND  IN  LOVE  TO  THE  BRETHREN. 


181 


are  my  disciples ; ’ ' That  they  may  be  one  in  us, 
that  the  world  may  believe  ; ' ' That  they  may  be  made 
perfect  in  one,  that  the  world  may  know  that  Thou 
hast  loved  them,  as  Thou  hast  loved  me/  To  the 
believer  seeking  perfect  fellowship  with  Christ,  the 
keeping  of  this  commandment  is  at  once  the  blessed 
proof  that  he  is  abiding  in  Him,  and  the  path  to  a 
fuller  and  more  perfect  union. 

Let  us  try  and  understand  how  this  is  so.  We 
know  that  God  is  love,  and  that  Christ  came  to 
reveal  this,  not  as  a doctrine  but  as  a life.  His 
life,  in  its  wonderful  self-abasement  and  self- 
sacrifice,  was,  above  everything,  the  embodiment  of 
Divine  love,  the  showing  forth  to  men,  in  such 
human  manifestations  as  they  could  understand, 
how  God  loves.  In  His  love  to  the  unworthy  and 
the  ungrateful,  in  His  humbling  Himself  to  walk 
among  men  as  a servant,  in  His  giving  Himself  up 
to  death,  He  simply  lived  and  acted  out  the  life  of 
the  Divine  love  which  was  in  the  heart  of  God, 
He  lived  and  died  to  show  us  the  love  of  the 
Father. 

And  now,  just  as  Christ  was  to  show  forth  God’s 
love,  believers  are  to  show  forth  to  the  world  the 
love  of  Christ.  They  are  to  prove  to  men  that 
Christ  loves  them,  and  in  loving  fills  them  with  a 
love  that  is  not  of  earth.  They,  by  living  and  by 
loving  just  as  He  did,  are  to  be  perpetual  witnesses 
to  the  love  that  gave  itself  to  die.  He  loved  so 
that  even  the  Jews  cried  out,  as  at  Bethany, 
‘ Behold  how  He  loved  ! ’ Christians  are  to  live  so 


182 


ABIDE  IN  CHKlSr  : 


that  men  are  compelled  to  say, ' See  how  these  Chris- 
tians love  one  another/  In  their  daily  intercourse 
with  each  other,  Christians  are  made  a spectacle  to 
God,  and  to  angels,  and  to  men ; and  in  the  Christ- 
likeness  of  their  love  to  each  other,  are  to  prove  what 
manner  of  spirit  they  are  of.  Amid  all  diversity  of 
character  or  of  creed,  of  language  or  of  station,  they 
are  to  prove  that  love  has  made  them  members  of  one 
body,  and  of  each  other,  and  has  tauglit  them  each 
to  forget  and  sacrifice  self  for  the  sake  of  the  other. 
Their  life  of  love  is  the  chief  evidence  of  Christianity, 
the  proof  to  the  world  that  God  sent  Christ,  and  that 
He  has  shed  abroad  in  them  the  same  love  with  which 
He  loved  Him.  Of  all  the  evidences  of  Christianity, 
this  is  the  mightiest  and  most  convincing. 

This  love  of  Christ’s  disciples  to  each  other 
occupies  a central  position  between  their  love  to 
God  and  to  all  men.  Of  their  love  to  God,  whom 
they  cannot  see,  it  is  the  test.  The  love  to  one 
unseen  may  so  easily  be  a mere  sentiment,  or  even 
an  imagination ; in  the  intercourse  with  God’s 
children,  love  to  God  is  really  called  into  exercise, 
and  shows  itself  in  deeds  that  the  Father  accepts 
as  done  to  Himself.  So  alone  can  it  be  proved  to 
be  true.  The  love  to  the  brethren  is  the  flower 
and  fruit  of  the  root,  unseen  in  the  heart,  of  love 
to  God.  And  this  fruit  again  becomes  the  seed  of 
love  to  all  men  : intercourse  with  each  other  is 
the  school  in  which  believers  are  trained  and 
strengthened  to  love  their  fellow-men,  who  are  yet 
out  of  Christ,  not  simply  with  the  liking  that  rests 


AND  IN  LOVE  TO  THE  BKETHREN. 


183 


on  points  of  agreement,  but  with  the  holy  love  that 
takes  hold  of  the  unworthiest,  and  bears  with  the 
most  disagreeable  for  Jesus’  sake.  It  is  love  to 
each  other  as  disciples  that  is  ever  put  in  the  fore- 
ground as  the  link  between  love  to  God  alone  and 
to  men  in  general. 

In  Christ’s  intercourse  with  His  disciples  this 
brotherly  love  finds  the  law  of  its  conduct.  As  it 
studies  His  forgiveness  and  forbearance  towards  His 
friends,  with  the  seven  times  seven  as  its  only 
measure, — as  it  looks  to  His  unwearied  patience  and 
His  infinite  humility, — as  it  sees  the  meekness  and 
lowliness  with  which  He  seeks  to  win  for  Himself 
a place  as  their  servant,  wholly  devoted  to  their 
interests, — it  accepts  with  gladness  His  command, 
‘Ye  should  do  as  I have  done’  (John  xiii.  15), 
Following  His  example,  each  lives  not  for  Himself 
but  for  the  other.  The  law  of  kindness  is  on 
the  tongue,  for  love  has  vowed  that  never  shall 
one  unkind  word  cross  its  lips.  It  refuses  not  only 
to  speak,  but  even  to  hear  or  to  think  evil ; of  the 
name  and  character  of  the  fellow- Christian  it  is 
more  jealous  than  of  its  own.  My  own  good  name 
I may  leave  to  the  Father ; my  brother’s  my 
Father  has  entrusted  to  me.  In  gentleness  and 
loving-kindness,  in  courtesy  and  generosity,  in  self- 
sacrifice  and  beneficence,  in  its  life  of  blessing  and 
of  beauty,  the  Divine  love,  which  has  been  shed 
abroad  in  the  believer’s  heart,  shines  out  as  it  shone 
in  the  life  of  Jesus. 

Christian  ! what  say  you  of  this  your  glorious 


184 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


calling  to  love  like  Clirist  ? Docs  not  yonr  heart 
bound  at  the  thought  of  the  unspeakable  privilege 
of  thus  showing  fortli  the  likeness  of  the  Eternal 
Love  ? Or  are  you  rather  ready  to  sigh  at  tlie 
tliought  of  the  inaccessible  height  of  perfection  to 
which  you  are  thus  called  to  climb  ? Brother, 
sigh  not  at  what  is  in  very  deed  the  highest  token 
of  the  Father’s  love,  tliat  He  has  called  us  to 
be  like  Christ  in  our  love,  just  as  He  was  like 
the  Father  in  His  love.  Understand  that  He  who 
gave  the  command  in  such  close  connection  with 
His  teaching  about  the  Vine  and  the  abiding  in 
Him,  gave  us  in  that  the  assurance  that  we  have 
only  to  abide  in  Him  to  be  able  to  love  like  Him. 
Accept  the  command  as  a new  motive  to  a more 
full  abiding  in  Christ.  Regard  the  abiding  in  Him 
more  than  ever  as  an  abiding  in  His  love ; rooted 
and  grounded  daily  in  a love  that  passeth  know- 
ledge, you  receive  of  its  fulness,  and  learn  to  love. 
With  Christ  abiding  in  you,  the  Holy  Spirit  sheds 
abroad  the  love  of  God  in  your  heart,  and  you  love 
the  brethren,  the  most  trying  and  unloveable,  with  a 
love  that  is  not  your  own,  but  the  love  of  Christ  in 
you.  And  the  command  about  your  love  to  the 
brethren  is  changed  from  a burden  into  a joy,  if  you 
but  keep  it  linked,  as  Jesus  linked  it,  to  the  com- 
mand about  His  love  to  you  : ‘ Abide  in  my  love  ; 
love  one  another,  as  I have  loved  you.’ 

‘ This  is  my  commandment,  That  ye  love  one 
another,  as  I have  loved  you.’  Is  not  this  now 
some  of  tlie  much  fruit  that  Jesus  has  promised  we 


AND  IN  LOVE  TO  THE  BRETHREN. 


185 


shall  bear, — in  very  deed  a cluster  of  the  grapes 
of  Eslicol,  with  which  we  can  prove  to  others  that 
the  land  of  promise  is  indeed  a good  land  ? Let  us 
try  in  all  simplicity  and  honesty  to  go  out  to  our 
home  to  translate  the  language  of  high  faith  and 
heavenly  enthusiasm  into  the  plain  prose  of  daily 
conduct,  so  that  all  men  can  understand  it.  Let 
our  temper  be  under  the  rule  of  the  love  of  Jesus  : 
He  can  not  alone  curb  it, — He  can  make  us  gentle 
and  patient.  Let  the  vow,  that  not  an  unkind 
word  of  others  shall  ever  be  heard  from  our  lips, 
be  laid  trustingly  at  His  feet.  Let  the  gentleness 
that  refuses  to  take  offence,  that  is  always  ready 
to  excuse,  to  think  and  hope  the  best,  mark  our 
intercourse  with  all.  Let  the  love  that  seeketh  not 
itself,  but  ever  is  ready  to  wash  others’  feet,  or  even 
to  give  its  life  for  them,  be  our  aim  as  we  abide  in 
Jesus.  Let  our  life  be  one  of  self-sacrifice,  always 
studying  the  welfare  of  others,  finding  our  highest 
joy  in  blessing  others.  And  let  us,  in  studying  the 
Divine  art  of  doing  good,  yield  ourselves  as  obedient 
learners  to  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  By 
His  grace,  the  most  commonplace  life  can  be 
transfigured  with  the  brightness  of  a heavenly 
beauty,  as  the  infinite  love  of  the  Divine  nature 
shines  out  through  our  frail  humanity.  Fellow- 
Christian,  let  us  praise  God ! We  are  called  to 
love  as  Jesus  loves,  as  God  loves. 

Abide  in  my  love,  and  love  as  I have  loved. 
Bless  God,  it  is  possible.  The  new  holy  nature  we 
have,  and  which  grows  ever  stronger  as  it  abides  in 


186 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST: 


Christ  the  Vine,  can  love  as  He  did.  Every 
discovery  of  the  evil  of  the  old  nature,  every 
longing  desire  to  obey  the  command  of  our  Lord, 
every  experience  of  the  power  and  the  blessedness 
of  loving  with  Jesus’  love,  will  urge  us  to  accept 
with  fresh  faith  the  blessed  injunctions : ‘ Abide  in 
me,  and  I in  you ; * ‘ Abide  in  my  love/ 


THAT  YOU  MAY  NOT  SIN. 


187 


Twenty-Seventh  Day. 


ABIDE  IN  OHEIST, 

STtjat  gou  mag  not  sin. 


* In  Him  is  no  sin.  Whosoever  abideth  in  Him  sinneth  not.* — 
1 John  iii.  5,  6. 


E know/  the  apostle  had  said,  ‘ that  He  was 


-L  manifested  to  take  away  our  sin,’  and  had 
thus  indicated  salvation  from  sin  as  the  great  object 
for  which  the  Son  was  made  man.  The  connection 
shows  clearly  that  the  taking  away  has  reference 
not  only  to  the  atonement  and  freedom  from  guilt, 
but  to  deliverance  from  the  power  of  sin,  so  that 
the  believer  no  longer  does  it.  It  is  Christ’s  per- 
sonal holiness  that  constitutes  His  power  to  effect 
this  purpose.  He  admits  sinners  into  life  union 
with  Himself ; the  result  is,  that  their  life  becomes 
like  His.  ‘ In  Him  is  no  sin.  Whosoever  abideth 
in  Him  sinneth  not.’  As  long  as  he  abides,  and  as 
far  as  he  abides,  the  believer  does  not  sin.  Our 
holiness  of  life  has  its  root  in  the  personal  holiness 
of  Jesus.  ‘If  the  root  be  holy,  so  also  are  the 
branches.’  ^ 

The  question  at  once  arises  : How  is  this  con- 


188 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


sistent  with  what  the  Bible  teaches  of  the  ahiclin.J 
corruption  of  our  human  nature,  or  with  wliat  Johii 
himself  tells  us  of  the  utter  falsehood  of  our  profes 
sion,  if  we  say  tliat  we  have  no  sin,  that  we  have  nol 
sinned  ? (see  1 John  i.  8,  10).  It  is  just  this  passag(^ 
which,  if  we  look  carefully  at  it,  will  teach  us  to 
understand  our  text  aright.  Note  the  difference  in 
the  two  statements  (ver.  8),  ‘ If  we  say  that  loe  have 
no  sin,'  and  (ver.  10),  ‘If  we  say  that  we  have  not 
sinned!  The  two  expressions  cannot  be  equivalent ; 
the  second  would  then  be  an  unmeaning  repetition 
of  the  first.  Having  sin  in  ver.  8 is  not  the  same 
as  doing  sin  in  ver.  10.  Having  sin  is  having  a 
sinful  nature.  The  holiest  believer  must  each 
moment  confess  that  he  has  sin  within  him, — the 
fiesh,  namely,  in  which  dwelleth  no  good  thing. 
Sinning  or  doing  sin  is  something  very  different : it  is 
yielding  to  indwelling  sinful  nature,  and  falling  into 
actual  transgression.  And  so  we  have  two  admis- 
sions that  every  true  believer  must  make.  The  one  is 
that  he  has  still  sin  within  him  (ver.  8)  ; the  second, 
that  that  sin  has  in  former  times  broken  out  into 
sinful  actions  (ver.  10).  No  believer  can  say  either, 
‘I  have  no  sin  in  me,’ or  ‘I  have  in  time  past 
never  sinned.’  If  we  say  we  have  no  sin  at  present, 
or  that  we  have  not  sinned  in  the  past,  we  deceive 
ourselves.  But  no  confession,  though  we  have  sin 
in  the  present,  is  demanded  that  we  are  doing  sin 
in  the  present  too ; the  confession  of  actual  sinning 
refers  to  the  past.  It  may,  as  appears  from  chap, 
ii.  2,  bo  in  the  present  also,  but  is  expected  not  to 


THAT  YOU  MAY  NOT  SIN. 


189 


foe.  And  so  we  see  how  the  deepest  confession  of 
nil  in  the  past  (as  Paul’s  of  his  having  been  a per- 
35eciitor),  and  the  deepest  consciousness  of  having 
3till  a vile  and  corrupt  nature  in  the  present,  may 
consist  with  humble  but  joyful  praise  to  Him  who 
keeps  from  stumbling. 

But  how  is  it  possible  that  a believer,  having 
nn  in  him, — sin  of  such  intense  vitality,  and  such 
.errible  power  as  we  know  the  flesh  to  have, — that 
i believer  having  sin  should  yet  not  he  doing  sin  ? 
The  answer  is  : ‘ In  Him  is  no  sin.  He  that  abideth 
n Him  sinneth  not.’  When  the  abiding  in  Christ 
oecomes  close  and  unbroken,  so  that  the  soul  lives 
l:rom  moment  to  moment  in  the  perfect  union  with 
}he  Lord  its  keeper.  He  does,  indeed,  keep  down  the 
power  of  the  old  nature,  so  that  it  does  not  regain 
dominion  over  the  soul.  We  have  seen  that  there 
ire  degrees  in  the  abiding.  With  most  Christians 
^lie  abiding  is  so  feeble  and  intermittent,  that  sin 
iiontinually  obtains  the  ascendency,  and  brings  the 
??)Oul  into  subjection.  The  Divine  promise  given  to 
naith  is  : ‘ Sin  shall  not  have  dominion  over  you.’ 
8ut  with  the  promise  is  the  command : ' Let  not 
oin  reign  in  your  mortal  body.’  The  believer  who 
♦claims  the  promise  in  full  faith  has  the  power  to 
)bey  the  command,  and  sin  is  kept  from  asserting 
i ts  supremacy.  Ignorance  of  the  promise,  or  un- 
)elief,  or  unwatchfulness,  opens  the  door  for  sin  to 
eign*.  And  so  the  life  of  many  believers  is  a 
• ourse  of  continual  stumbling  and  sinning.  But 
>vhen  the  believer  seeks  full  admission  into,  and 


190 


ABIDE  IN  CIIPJST  : 


a permanent  abode  in  Jesus,  the  Sinless  One,  then 
the  life  of  Christ  keeps  from  actual  transgression. 
‘ In  Him  is  no  sin.  He  that  abideth  in  Him  sinneth 
not.’  Jesus  does  indeed  save  him  from  his  sin, — 
not  by  the  removal  of  his  sinful  nature,  but  by 
keeping  him  from  yielding  to  it. 

I have  read  of  a young  lion  whom  nothing  could 
awe  or  keep  down  but  the  eye  of  his  keeper.  With 
the  keeper  you  could  come  near  him,  and  he  would 
crouch,  his  savage  nature  all  unchanged,  and  thirst- 
ing for  blood, — trembling  at  the  keeper  s feet.  You 
might  put  your  foot  on  his  neck,  as  long  as  the 
keeper  was  with  you.  To  approach  him  without 
the  keeper  would  be  instant  death.  And  so  it  is 
that  the  believer  can  haxe  sin  and  yet  not  do  sin. 
The  evil  nature,  the  flesh,  is  unchanged  in  its  enmity 
against  God,  but  the  abiding  presence  of  Jesus 
keeps  it  down.  In  faith  the  believer  entrusts  him- 
self to  the  keeping,  to  the  indwelling,  of  the  Son  of 
God ; he  abides  in  Him,  and  counts  on  Jesus  to 
abide  in  Him  too.  The  union  and  fellowship  is  the 
secret  of  a holy  life : ‘ In  Him  is  no  sin ; he  that 
abideth  in  Him  sinneth  not.’ 

And  now  another  question  will  arise : Admitted 
that  the  complete  abiding  in  the  Sinless  One  will 
keep  from  sinning,  is  such  abiding  possible  ? May 
we  hope  to  be  able  so  to  abide  in  Christ,  say,  even 
for  one  day,  that  we  may  be  kept  from  actual 
transgressions  ? The  question  has  only  to  be  fairly 
stated  and  considered, — it  will  suggest  its  own 
answer.  When  Christ  commanded  us  to  abide  in 


THAT  YOU  MAY  NOT  SIN. 


191 


Him,  and  promised  us  such  rich  fruit-hearing  to 
the  glory  of  the  Father,  and  such  mighty  power  in 
our  intercessions,  can  He  have  meant  anything  but 
the  healthy,  vigorous,  complete  union  of  the  branch 
with  the  vine  ? When  He  promised  that  as  we 
abide  in  Him  He  would  abide  in  us,  could  He 
mean  anything  but  that  His  dwelling  in  us  would 
be  a reality  of  Divine  power  and  love  ? Is  not 
this  way  of  saving  from  sin  just  that  which  will 
glorify  Him  ? — keeping  us  daily  humble  and  help- 
less in  the  consciousness  of  the  evil  nature,  watchful 
and  active  in  the  knowledge  of  its  terrible  power, 
dependent  and  trustful  in  the  remembrance  that 
only  His  presence  can  keep  the  lion  down.  0 
let  us  believe  that  when  Jesus  said,  ‘Abide  in  me, 
and  I in  you,’  He  did  indeed  mean  that,  while  we 
were  not  to  be  freed  from  the  world  and  its  tribula- 
tion, from  the  sinful  nature  and  its  temptations,  we 
were  at  least  to  have  this  blessing  fully  secured  to 
us, — grace  to  abide  wholly,  only,  ever  in  our  Lord. 
The  abiding  in  Jesus  makes  it  possible  to  keep 
from  actual  sinning;  and  Jesus  Himself  makes  it 
possible  to  abide  in  Him. 

Beloved  Christian ! I do  not  wonder  if  the  pro- 
mise of  the  text  appears  almost  too  high.  Do  not, 
1 pray,  let  your  attention  be  diverted  by  the  ques- 
tion as  to  whether  it  would  be  possible  to  be  kept 
tor  your  whole  life,  or  for  so  many  years,  without 
sinning.  Faith  has  ever  only  to  deal  with  the 
present  moment.  Ask  this  : Can  Jesus  at  the  pre- 
sent moment,  as  I abide  in  Him,  keep  me  from 


192 


ABIDE  IN  CIIIIIST: 


those  actual  transgressions  wliicli  liave  been  the 
stain  and  the  weariness  of  niy  daily  life  ? Thou 
canst  not  but  say,  Surely  He  can.  Take  Him  then 
at  this  present  moment,  and  say,  ‘Jesus  keeps  me 
now,  Jesus  saves  me  now.’  Yield  yourself  to  Him 
in  the  earnest  and  believing  prayer  to  be  kept 
abiding,  by  His  own  abiding  in  you, — and  go  into 
the  next  moment,  and  the  succeeding  hours,  with 
this  trust  continually  renewed.  As  often  as  the 
opportunity  occurs  in  the  moments  between  your 
occupations,  renew  your  faith  in  an  act  of  devotion : 
Jesus  keeps  me  now,  Jesus  saves  me  now.  Let 
failure  and  sin,  instead  of  discouraging  you,  only 
urge  you  still  more  to  seek  your  safety  in  abiding 
in  the  Sinless  One.  Abiding  is  a grace  in  which 
you  can  grow  wonderfully,  if  you  will  but  make  at 
once  the  complete  surrender,  and  then  persevere 
with  ever  larger  expectations.  Eegard  it  as  His 
work  to  keep  you  abiding  in  Him,  and  His  work 
to  keep  you  from  sinning.  It  is  indeed  your  work 
to  abide  in  Him ; but  it  is  that,  only  because  it  is 
His  work  as  Vine  to  bear  and  hold  the  branch. 
Gaze  upon  His  holy  human  nature  as  what  He  'pre- 
pared for  you  to  he  partaker  of  with  Himself,  and  you 
will  see  that  there  is  something  even  higher  and 
better  than  being  kept  from  sin, — that  is  but  the 
restraining  from  evil : there  is  the  positive  and  larger 
blessing  of  being  now  a vessel  purified  and  cleansed, 
of  being  filled  with  His  fulness,  and  made  the 
channel  of  showing  forth  His  power.  His  blessing, 
and  His  glory. 


THAT  YOU  MAY  NOT  SIN. 


193 


Note. 

Is  DAILY  SINNING  AN  INEVITABLE  NECESSITY  ? 

‘ Why  is  it  that,  when  we  possess  a Saviour  whose 
love  and  power  are  infinite,  we  are  so  often  filled 
with  fear  and  despondency  ? We  are  wearied  and 
faint  in  our  minds,  because  we  do  not  look  sted- 
fastly  unto  Jesus,  the  author  and  finisher  of  faith, 
who  is  set  down  at  the  right  hand  of  God, — unto 
Him  whose  omnipotence  embraces  both  heaven  and 
earth,  who  is  strong  and  mighty  in  His  feeble  saints. 

‘ While  we  remember  our  weakness,  we  forget  His 
all-sufficient  power.  While  we  acknowledge  that 
apart  from  Christ  we  can  do  nothing,  we  do  not  rise 
to  the  height  or  depth  of  Christian  humility : I can 
do  all  things  through  Christ  which  strengtheneth 
me.  While  we  trust  in  the  power  of  the  death  of 
Jesus  to  cancel  the  guilt  of  sin,  we  do  not  exercise 
a reliant  and  appropriating  faith  in  the  omnipotence 
of  the  living  Smioiir  to  deliver  us  from  the  bondage 
and  power  of  sin  in  out  daily  life.  We  forget  that 
Christ  worketh  in  us  mightily,  and  that,  one  with 
Himy  we  possess  strength  suffcient  to  overcome  every 
temptation,  W e are  apt  either  to  forget  our  nothing- 
ness, and  imagine  that  in  our  daily  path  we  can  live 
without  sin,  that  the  duties  and  trials  of  our  everyday 
life  can  be  performed  and  borne  in  our  own  strength , 
Dr  we  do  not  avail  ourselves  of  the  omnipotence  of 
Tesusy  who  is  able  to  subdue  all  things  to  Himself, 
ind  to  keep  us  from  the  daAly  infirmities  and  falls 


194 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


ivTiich  we  are  apt  to  imagine  an  inevitable  necessity. 
If  we  really  depended  in  all  things  and  at  all  times  on 
Christy  we  would  in  all  things  and  at  cdl  times  gain 
the  victory,  through  Him  whose  power  is  infinite, 
and  who  is  appointed  by  the  Father  to  be  the  Cap- 
tain of  our  salvation.  Then  all  our  deeds  would 
be  wrought,  not  merely  before,  but  in  God.  We 
would  then  do  all  things  to  the  glory  of  the  Father, 
in  the  all-powerful  name  of  Jesus,  who  is  our  sancti- 
fication. Eemember  that  unto  Him  all  power  is 
given  in  heaven  and  on  earth,  and  live  by  the  con- 
stant  exercise  of  faith  in  His  power.  Let  us  most 
fully  believe  that  we  have  and  are  nothing,  that  with 
man  it  is  impossible,  that  in  ourselves  we  have  no 
life  which  can  bring  forth  fruit ; but  that  Christ  is 
all, — that  abiding  in  Him,  and  His  word  dwelling  in 
us,  we  can  bring  forth  fruit  to  the  glory  of  the  Father.' 
— From  Christ  a/nd  the  Church.  Sermons  by  Adolph 
Saphir,  p.  60.  The  italics  are  not  in  the  original. 


AS  YOUR  STRENGTH. 


195 


Twenty-Eighth  Day. 

ABIDE  IN  CHRIST, 

sour  .Strengtfj. 

‘All  power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  in  earth.’— Matt, 
:xviii.  18.^ 

‘ Be  strong  in  the  Lord,  and  in  the  power  of  His  might.’ — Eph, 

T.  10. 

‘ My  power  is  made  perfect  in  weakness.’— 2 Cor.  xii.  9 (E.  Y.). 

pHEEE  is  no  truth  more  generally  admitted 
among  earnest  Christians  than  that  of  their 
liter  weakness.  There  is  no  truth  more  generally 
nisunderstood  and  abused.  Here,  as  elsewhere,  Grod’s 
houghts  are  heaven-high  above  man’s  thoughts. 

The  Christian  often  tries  to  forget  his  weakness  : 
Tod  wants  us  to  remember  it,  to  feel  it  deeply, 
'he  Christian  wants  to  conquer  his  weakness  and 

0 be  freed  from  it : God  wants  us  to  rest  and  even 
ejoice  in  it.  The  Christian  mourns  over  his  weak- 
ess : Christ  teaches  His  servant  to  say,  ‘ 1 take 
leasure  in  infirmities ; most  gladly  will  I glory  in 
ly  infirmities.’  The  Christian  thinks  his  weakness 
is  greatest  hindrance  in  the  life  and  service  of 
od : God  tells  us  that  it  is  the  secret  of  strength 
id  success.  It  is  our  weakness,  heartily  accepted, 

1 The  word  power  in  this  verse  is  properly  authority  (R.  Y.),  but 
e two  ideas  are  so  closely  linked,  and  the  authority  as  a living 
-vine  reality  is  so  inseparable  from  the  power,  that  I have  felt  at 
)erty  to  retain  the  word  power. 


196 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


and  continually  realized,  that  gives  us  our  claim 
and  access  to  the  strength  of  Him  who  has  said, 

‘ My  strength  is  made  perfect  in  weakness! 

When  our  Lord  was  about  to  take  Ilis  seat  upon 
the  throne,  one  of  His  last  words  was : ' All  power 
is  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  on  earth/  Just  as 
His  taking  His  place  at  the  right  hand  of  the  power 
of  God  was  something  new  and  true, — a real  advance 
in  the  history  of  the  God-man, — so  was  this  clothing 
with  all  power.  Omnipotence  was  now  entrusted 
to  the  man  Christ  Jesus,  that  from  henceforth  through 
the  channels  of  human  nature  it  might  put  forth  its 
mighty  energies.  Hence  He  connected  with  this 
revelation  of  what  He  was  to  receive,  the  promise 
of  the  share  that  His  disciples  would  have  in  it : 
When  I am  ascended,  ye  shall  receive  power  from  on 
high  (Luke  xxiv.  49  ; Acts  i.  8).  It  is  in  the  power 
of  the  omnipotent  Saviour  that  the  believer  must  find 
his  strength  for  life  and  for  work. 

It  was  thus  with  the  disciples.  During  ten  days 
they  worshipped  and  waited  at  the  footstool  of  His 
throne.  They  gave  expression  to  their  faith  in  Him 
as  their  Saviour,  to  their  adoration  of  Him  as  their 
Lord,  to  their  love  to  Him  as  their  Friend,  to  their 
devotion  and  readiness  to  work  for  Him  as  their 
Master.  Jesus  Christ  was  the  one  object  of  thought, 
of  love,  of  delight.  In  such  worship  of  faith  and 
devotion  their  souls  grew  up  into  intensest  com- 
munion with  Him  upon  the  throne,  and  when  they 
were  prepared,  the  baptism  of  power  came.  It  was 
power  within  and  power  around. 


AS  YOUK  STRENGTH. 


19v 


The  power  came  to  qualify  for  the  work  to  which 
I they  had  yielded  themselves — of  testifying  by  life 
and  word  to  their  unseen  Lord.  W^ith  some  the 
j chief  testimony  was  to  be  that  of  a holy  life,  reveal- 
ing the  heaven  and  the  Christ  from  whom  it  came. 
The  power  came  to  set  up  the  kingdom  within  them, 
to  give  them  the  victory  over  sin  and  self,  to  fit 
them  by  living  experience  to  testify  to  the  power  of 
Jesus  on  the  throne,  to  make  men  live  in  the  world 
fas  saints.  Others  were  to  give  themselves  up 
entirely  to  the  speaking  in  the  name  of  Jesus.  But 
all  needed  and  all  received  the  gift  of  power,  to  prove 
that  now  Jesus  had  received  the  kingdom  of  the 
Father,  all  power  in  heaven  and  earth  was  indeed 
given  to  Him,  and  by  Him  imparted  to  His  people 
Just  as  they  needed  it,  whether  for  a holy  life  or 
effective  service.  They  received  the  gift  of  power, 
to  prove  to  the  world  that  the  kingdom  of  God,  to 
waich  they  professed  to  belong,  was  not  in  word  but 
in  power.  By  having  power  within,  they  had  power 
without  and  around.  The  power  of  God  was  felt 
i3ven  by  those  who  would  not  yield  themselves  to 
it  (Acts  ii.  43,  iv.  13,  v.  13). 

And  what  Jesus  was  to  these  first  disciples.  He 
is  to  us  too.  Our  whole  life  and  calling  as  disciples 
find  their  origin  and  their  guarantee  in  the  words : 
All  power  is  given  to  me  in  heaven  and  on  earth.’ 
What  He  does  in  and  through  us.  He  does  with 
ilmighty  power.  What  He  claims  or  demands.  He 
vorks  Himself  by  that  same  power.  All  He  gives. 
He  gives  with  power.  Every  blessing  He  bestows, 


198 


AlilDK  IN  CIIPJST  : 


every  promise  He  fulfils,  every  grace  He  works, — all, 
all  i/5  to  be  with  power.  Everything  that  comes 
from  this  Jesus  on  the  throne  of  power  is  to  bear 
the  stamp  of  power.  The  weakest  believer  may 
be  confident  that  in  asking  to  be  kept  from  sin, 
to  grow  in  holiness,  to  bring  forth  much  fruit,  he 
may  count  upon  these  his  petitions  being  fulfilled 
with  Divine  power.  The  power  is  in  Jesus  ; Jesus  is 
ours  with  all  His  fulness ; it  is  in  us  His  members 
that  the  power  is  to  work  and  be  made  manifest. 

And  if  we  want  to  know  how  the  power  is  be- 
stowed, the  answer  is  simple : Christ  gives  His 
power  in  us  by  giving  His  life  in  us.  He  does  not, 
as  so  many  believers  imagine,  take  the  feeble  life 
He  finds  in  them,  and  impart  a little  strength  to 
aid  them  in  their  feeble  efforts.  No  ; it  is  in  giving 
His  own  life  in  us  that  He  gives  us  His  power. 
The  Holy  Spirit  came  down  to  the  disciples  direct 
from  the  heart  of  their  exalted  Lord,  bringing  down 
into  them  the  glorious  life  of  heaven  into  which  He 
had  entered.  And  so  His  people  are  still  taught 
to  be  strong  in  the  Lord  and  in  the  power  of  His 
might.  When  He  strengthens  them,  it  is  not  by 
taking  away  the  sense  of  feebleness,  and  giving  in 
its  place  the  feeling  of  strength.  By  no  means.  But 
in  a very  wonderful  way  leaving  and  even  increasing 
the  sense  of  utter  impotence.  He  gives  them  along 
witli  it  the  consciousness  of  strength  in  Him.  ‘We 
have  this  treasure  in  earthen  vessels,  that  the  excel- 
lency of  the  power  may  be  of  God  and  not  of  us.* 
The  feebleness  and  the  strength  are  side  by  side ; as 


AS  YOUR  STRENGTH. 


199 


the  one  grows,  the  other  too,  until  they  understand 
the  saying,  ‘ When  I am  weak,  then  am  I strong ; I 
glory  in  my  infirmities,  that  the  power  of  Christ 
may  rest  on  me.’ 

The  believing  believer  learns  to  look  upon  Christ 
on  the  throne,  Christ  the  Omnipotent,  as  his  life.  He 
studies  that  life  in  its  infinite  perfection  and  purity, 
in  its  strength  and  glory  ; it  is  the  eternal  life  dwell- 
ing in  a glorified  man.  And  when  he  thinks  of  his 
own  inner  life,  and  longs  for  holiness,  to  live  well- 
pleasing  unto  God,  or  for  power  to  do  the  Father’s 
work,  he  looks  up,  and,  rejoicing  that  Christ  is  his 
life,  he  confidently  reckons  that  that  life  will  work 
mightily  in  him  all  he  needs.  In  things  little  and 
things  great,  in  the  being  kept  from  sin  from 
moment  to  moment  for  which  he  has  learned  to 
look,  or  in  the  struggle  with  some  special  difficulty 
or  temptation,  the  •power  of  Christ  is  the  measure 
of  his  expectation.  He  lives  a most  joyous  and 
blessed  life,  not  because  he  is  no  longer  feeble,  but 
because,  being  utterly  helpless,  he  consents  and 
expects  to  have  the  mighty  Saviour  work  in  him. 

The  lessons  these  thoughts  teach  us  for  practical 
life  are  simple,  but  very  precious.  The  first  is,  that 
all  our  strength  is  in  Christ,  laid  up  and  waiting  for 
use.  It  is  there  as  an  Almighty  life,  which  is  in  Him 
for  us,  ready  to  flow  in  according  to  the  measure  in 
which  it  finds  the  channels  open.  But  whether  its 
flow  is  strong  or  feeble,  whatever  our  experience  of  it 
be,  there  it  is  in  Christ : All  power  in  heaven  and 
earth.  Let  us  take  time  to  study  this.  Let  us  get 


200 


ABIDE  IN  CUBIST  : 


our  riinds  filled  with  the  thought : That  Jesus  might 
be  to  us  a perfect  Saviour,  the  Father  gave  Him  all 
power.  That  is  the  qualification  that  fits  Him  for 
our  needs : All  the  power  of  heaven  over  all  the 
powers  of  earth,  over  every  power  of  earth  in  our 
heart  and  life  too. 

The  second  lesson  is : This  power  flows  into  us 
as  we  abide  in  close  union  with  Him.  When  the 
union  is  feeble,  little  valued  or  cultivated,  the  inflow 
of  strength  will  be  feeble.  When  the  union  with 
Christ  is  rejoiced  in  as  our  highest  good,  and  every- 
thing sacrificed  for  the  sake  of  maintaining  it,  the 
power  will  work : ' His  strength  will  be  made  per- 
fect in  our  weakness/  Our  one  care  must  there- 
fore be  to  abide  in  Christ  as  our  strength.  Our  one 
duty  is  to  be  strong  in  the  Lord,  and  in  the  power 
of  His  might.  Let  our  faith  cultivate  large  and 
clear  apprehensions  of  the  exceedinggreatness  of  God’s 
power  in  them  that  believe,  emn  that  povjer  of  the 
risen  and  exalted  Christ  by  which  He  triumphed  over 
every  enemy  (Eph.  i.  19-21).  Let  our  faith  consent 
to  God’s  wonderful  and  most  blessed  arrangement : 
nothing  but  feebleness  in  us  as  our  own,  all  the  power 
in  Christ,  and  yet  within  our  reach  as  surely  as  if 
it  were  in  us.  Let  our  faith  daily  go  out  of  self 
and  its  life  into  the  life  of  Christ,  placing  our  whole 
being  at  His  disposal  for  Him  to  work  in  us.  Let 
our  faith,  above  all,  confidently  rejoice  in  the  assur- 
ance that  He  will  in  very  deed,  with  His  almighty 
power,  perfect  His  work  in  us.  As  we  thus  abide 
in  Clirist,  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  Spirit  of  His  power, 


AS  YOUR  STRENGTH. 


201 


will  work  mightily  in  us,  and  we  too  shall  sing, 
‘ J EHOVAH  is  my  strength  and  song : in  Jehovah 
I have  righteousness  and  strength!  ‘I  can  do 
all  things  through  Christ,  which  strengtheneth 
me.’ 


202 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST: 


Twenty-Ninth  Day. 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST, 

not  in  Self. 

*In  me,  that  is,  in  my  flesh,  dwelleth  no  good  thing.* — 

Rom.  vii.  18. 

TO  have  life  in  Himself  is  the  prerogative  of  God 
alone,  and  of  the  Son,  to  whom  the  Father 
hath  also  given  it.  To  seek  life,  not  in  itself,  but 
in  God,  is  the  highest  honour  of  the  creature.  To 
live  in  and  to  himself  is  the  folly  and  guilt  of  sinful 
man ; to  live  to  God  in  Christ,  the  blessedness  of 
the  believer.  To  deny,  to  hate,  to  forsake,  to  lose 
his  own  life,  such  is  the  secret  of  the  life  of  faith. 
‘ I live,  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me;’  ‘Not 
I,  but  the  grace  of  God  which  is  with  me this  is 
the  testimony  of  each  one  who  has  found  out  wliat 
it  is  to  give  up  his  own  life,  and  to  re^^eive  instead 
the  blessed  life  of  Christ  within  us.  There  is  no 
path  to  true  life,  to  abiding  in  Christ,  than  that 
which  our  Lord  went  before  us — through  death. 

At  the  first  commencement  of  the  Christian  life, 
but  few  see  this.  In  the  joy  of  pardon,  they  feel 
constrained  to  live  for  Christ,  and  trust  with  the 


AND  NOT  IN  SELF. 


203 


help  of  God  to  be  enabled  to  do  so.  They  are  as  yet 
ignorant  of  the  terrible  enmity  of  the  flesh  against 
God,  and  its  absolute  refusal  in  the  believer  to  be 
subject  to  the  law  of  God.  They  know  not  yet  that 
nothing  but  death,  the  absolute  surrender  to  death 
of  all  that  is  of  nature,  will 'suffice,  if  the  life  of  God 
is  to  be  manifested  in  them  with  power.  But  bitter 
experience  of  failure  soon  teaches  them  the  insuf- 
ficiency of  what  they  have  yet  known  of  Christ’s 
power  to  save,  and  deep  heart-longings  are  awakened 
to  know  Him  better.  He  lovingly  points  them  to 
His  Cross.  He  tells  them  that  as  there,  in  the 
faith  of  His  death  as  their  substitute,  they  found 
their  title  to  life,  so  there  they  shall  enter  into  its 
fuller  experience  too.  He  asks  them  if  they  are 
indeed  willing  to  drink  of  the  cup  of  which  He 
drank — to  be  crucified  and  to  die  with  Him.  He 
teaches  them  that  in  Him  they  are  indeed  already 
crucified  and  dead, — all  unknowing,  at  conversion 
they  became  partakers  of  His  death.  But  what 
they  need  now  is  to  give  a full  and  intelligent  con- 
sent to  what  they  received  ere  they  understood  it, 
by  an  act  of  their  own  choice  to  will  to  die  with 
Christ. 

This  demand  of  Christ’s  is  one  of  unspeakable 
solemnity.  Many  a believer  shrinks  back  from  it. 
He  can  hardly  understand  it.  He  has  become  so 
accustomed  to  a low  life  of  continual  stumbling,  that 
he  hardly  desires,  and  still  less  expects,  deliverance. 
Holiness,  perfect  conformity  to  Jesus,  unbroken  fellow- 
ship with  His  love,  can  scarcely  be  counted  distinct 


204 


ABIDE  IN  CUBIST: 


articles  of  his  creed.  Wliere  there  is  not  intense 
longing  to  be  kept  to  the  utmost  from  sinning,  and 
to  be  brought  into  the  closest  possible  union  with 
the  Saviour,  the  thought  of  being  crucified  with 
Him  can  find  no  entrance.  The  only  impression 
it  makes  is  that  of  suffering  and  shame  : such  a one 
is  content  that  Jesus  bore  the  cross,  and  so  won  for 
him  the  crown  he  liopes  to  wear.  How  different 
the  light  in  which  the  believer  who  is  really  seek- 
ing to  abide  fully  in  Christ  looks  upon  it.  Bitter 
experience  has  taught  him  how,  both  in  the  matter 
of  entire  surrender  and  simple  trust,  his  greatest 
enemy  in  the  abiding  life,  is  self.  How  it  refuses 
to  give  up  its  will ; then  again,  by  its  working,  it 
hinders  God’s  work.  Unless  this  life  of  self,  with 
its  willing  and  working,  be  displaced  by  the  life  of 
Christ,  with  His  willing  and  working,  to  abide  in 
Him  will  be  impossible.  And  then  comes  the 
solemn  question  from  Him  who  died  on  the  cross : 
‘ Are  you  ready  to  give  up  self  to  the  death  ? ’ You 
yourself,  the  living  person  born  of  God,  are  already 
in  me  dead  to  sin  and  alive  to  God ; but  are  you 
ready  now,  in  the  power  of  this  death,  to  mortify 
your  members,  to  give  up  self  entirely  to  its  death 
of  the  cross,  to  be  kept  there  until  it  be  wholly 
destroyed  ? The  question  is  a heart- searching  one. 
Am  I prepared  to  say  that  the  old  self  shall  no 
longer  have  a word  to  say  ; tliat  it  shall  not  be 
allowed  to  have  a single  thought,  however  natural, 
• — not  a single  feeling,  however  gratifying, — not  a 
single  wish  or  work,  however  right  ? 


AND  NOT  IN  SELF. 


205 


Is  this  in  very  deed  what  He  requires  ? Is  not 
our  nature  God’s  handiwork,  and  may  not  our 
natural  powers  be  sanctified  to  His  service  ? They 
may  and  must  indeed.  But  perhaps  you  have  not 
yet  seen  how  the  only  way  they  can  be  sanctified  is 
that  they  be  taken  from  under  the  power  of  self, 
and  brought  under  the  power  of  the  life  of  Christ. 
Think  not  that  this  is  a work  that  you  can  do, 
because  you  earnestly  desire  it,  and  are  indeed  one 
of  His  redeemed  ones.  No,  there  is  no  way  to  the 
altar  of  consecration  but  through  death.  As  you 
yielded  yourself  a sacrifice  on  God’s  altar  as  one 
alive  from  the  dead  (Rom.  vi.  13,  xii.  1),  so  each 
power  of  your  nature — each  talent,  gift,  possession, 
that  is  really  to  be  holiness  to  the  Lord — must  be 
separated  from  the  power  of  sin  and  self,  and  laid 
on  the  altar  to  be  consumed  by  the  fire  that  is  ever 
burning  there.  It  is  in  the  mortifying,  the  slay- 
ing of  self,  that  the  wonderful  powers  with  which 
God  has  fitted  you  to  serve  Him,  can  be  set  free  for 
a complete  surrender  to  God,  and  offered  to  Him  to 
be  accepted,  and  sanctified,  and  used.  And  though, 
as  long  as  you  are  in  the  flesh,  there  is  no  thought 
of  being  able  to  say  that  self  is  dead,  yet  when  the 
life  of  Christ  is  allowed  to  take  full  possession,  self 
can  be  so  kept  in  its  crucifixion  place,  and  under  its 
sentence  of  death,  that  it  shall  have  NO  dominion 
over  you,  no,  not  for  a single  moment.  Jesus  Christ 
becomes  your  second  self. 

Believer ! wouldest  thou  truly  and  fully  abide  in 
Christ,  prepare  thyself  to  part  for  ever  from  self, 


206 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST: 


and  not  to  allow  it,  even  for  a single  moment,  to 
have  aught  to  say  in  thy  inner  life.  If  thou  art 
willing  to  come  entirely  away  out  of  self,  and  to 
allow  Jesus  Christ  to  become  thy  life  within  thee, 
inspiring  all  thy  thinking,  feeling,  acting,  in  things 
temporal  and  spiritual.  He  is  ready  to  undertake 
the  charge.  In  the  fullest  and  widest  sense  the 
word  life  ever  can  have.  He  will  be  thy  life,  extend- 
ing His  interest  and  influence  to  each  one,  even  the 
minutest,  of  the  thousand  things  that  make  up  thy 
daily  life.  To  do  this  He  asks  but  one  thing: 
Come  away  out  of  self  and  its  life,  abide  in  Christ 
and  the  Christ  life,  and  Christ  will  be  thy  life. 
The  power  of  His  holy  presence  will  cast  out  the 
old  life. 

To  this  end  give  up  self  at  once  and  for  ever. 
If  thou  hast  never  yet  dared  to  do  it,  for  fear  thou 
mightest  fail  of  thy  engagement,  do  it  now,  in  view 
of  the  promise  Christ  gives  thee  that  His  life  will 
take  the  place  of  the  old  life.  Try  and  realize  that 
though  self  is  not  dead,  thou  art  indeed  dead  to  self. 
Self  is  still  strong  and  living,  but  it  has  no  'power  oxer 
thee.  Thou,  thy  renewed  nature — thou,  thy  new 
self,  begotten  again  in  Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead 
— art  indeed  dead  to  sin  and  alive  to  God.  Thy 
deatli  in  Christ  has  freed  thee  completely  from  the 
control  of  self : it  has  no  power  over  thee,  except  as 
thou,  in  ignorance,  or  unwatchfulness,  or  unbelief, 
consentest  to  yield  to  its  usurped  authority.  Come 
and  accept  by  faith  simply  and  heartily  the  glorious 
position  thou  liast  in  Christ.  As  one  who,  in  Christ, 


AND  NOT  IN  SELF. 


207 


lias  a life  dead  to  self,  as  one  who  is  freed  from 
the  dominion  of  self,  and  has  received  His  divine 
life  to  take  the  place  of  self,  to  be  the  animating 
and  inspiring  principle  of  thy  life,  venture  boldly  to 
plant  the  foot  upon  the  neck  of  this  enemy  of  thine 
and  thy  Lord’s.  Be  of  good  courage,  only  believe ; 
fear  not  to  take  the  irrevocable  step,  and  to  say  that 
thou  hast  once  for  all  given  up  self  to  the  death 
for  which  it  has  been  crucified  in  Christ  (Eom. 
vi.  6).  And  trust  Jesus  the  Crucified  One  to  hold 
self  to  the  cross,  and  to  fill  its  place  in  thee  with 
His  own  blessed  resurrection  life. 

In  this  faith,  abide  in  Christ ! Cling  to  Him ; 
rest  on  Him ; hope  on  Him.  Daily  renew  thy 
consecration;  daily  accept  afresh  thy  position  as 
ransomed  from  thy  tyrant,  and  now  in  turn  made  a 
conqueror.  Daily  look  with  holy  fear  on  the  enemy, 
self,  struggling  to  get  free  from  the  cross,  seeking  to 
allure  thee  into  giving  it  some  little  liberty,  or  else 
ready  to  deceive  thee  by  its  profession  of  willingness 
now  to  do  service  to  Christ.  Eemember,  self  seek- 
ing to  serve  God  is  more  dangerous  than  self  refus- 
ing obedience.  Look  upon  it  with  holy  fear,  and 
hide  thyself  in  Christ : in  Him  alone  is  thy  safety. 
Abide  thus  in  Him ; He  has  promised  to  abide  in 
thee.  He  will  teach  thee  to  be  humble  and  watch- 
ful. He  will  teach  thee  to  be  happy  and  trustful. 
Bring  every  interest  of  thy  life,  every  power  of  thy 
nature,  all  the  unceasing  flow  of  thought,  and  will, 
and  feeling,  that  makes  up  life,  and  trust  Him  to 
Itake  the  place  that  self  once  filled  so  easily  and  so 


208 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


naturally.  Jesus  Christ  will  indeed  take  possession 
of  thee  and  dwell  in  thee ; and  in  the  restfulness 
and  peace  and  grace  of  the  new  life  thou  slialt  have 
unceasing  joy  at  the  wondrous  exchange  that  has 
been  made, — the  coming  out  of  self  to  abide  in 
Christ  alone. 


Note. 

In  his  work  on  Sanctification,  Marshall,  in  the 
twelfth  chapter,  on  ' Holiness  through  faith  alone,’ 
puts  with  great  force  the  danger  in  which  the  Chris- 
tian is  of  seeking  sanctification  in  the  power  of  the 
flesh,  with  the  help  of  Christ,  instead  of  looking  for 
it  to  Christ  alone,  and  receiving  it  from  Him  by 
faith.  He  reminds  us  how  there  are  two  natures  in 
the  believer,  and  so  two  ways  of  seeking  holiness, 
according  as  we  allow  the  principles  of  the  one  or  other 
nature  to  guide  us.  The  one  is  the  carnal  way,  in 
which  we  put  forth  our  utmost  efforts  and  resolu- 
tions, trusting  Christ  to  help  us  in  doing  so.  The  other 
the  spiritual  way,  in  which,  as  those  who  have  died, 
and  can  do  nothing,  our  one  care  is  to  receive 
Christ  day  by  day,  and  at  every  step  to  let  Him  live 
and  work  in  us. 

‘ Despair  of  purging  the  flesh  or  natural  man  of 
its  sinful  lusts  and  inclinations,  and  of  practising 
holiness  hy  your  willing  and  resolving  to  do  the  test 
that  lieth  in  your  own  power y and  trusting  on  the  grace 
of  God  and  Christ  to  help  you  in  such  resolutions  and 


AND  NOT  IN  SELF. 


209 


endeavours.  Eather  resolve  to  trust  on  Christ  to  work 
in  you  to  will  and  to  do  by  His  own  poiver  according 
to  His  own  good  pleasure.  They  that  are  convinced 
of  their  own  sin  and  misery  do  commonly  first  think 
to  tame  the  flesh,  and  to  subdue  and  root  out  its 
lusts,  and  to  make  their  corrupt  nature  to  be  better- 
natured  and  inclined  to  holiness  by  their  struggling 
and  wrestling  with  it ; and  if  they  can  but  bring 
their  hearts  to  a full  piirpose  and  resolution  to  do  the 
best  that  lieth  in  them,  they  hope  that  by  such  a 
resolution  they  shall  be  able  to  achieve  great  enter- 
prises in  the  conquests  of  their  lusts  and  performance 
of  the  most  difficult  duties.  It  is  the  great  work  of 
some  zealous  divines  in  their  preachings  and  writings 
to  stir  up  people  to  this  resolution,  wherein  they 
place  the  chiefest  turning-point  from  sin  to  godliness. 
And  they  think  that  this  is  not  contrary  to  the  life 
of  faith,  because  they  trust  in  the  grace  of  God  through 
Christ  to  help  them  in  all  sueh  resolutions  and 
endeavours.  Thus  they  endeavour  to  reform  their  old 
state,  and  to  be  made  perfect  in  the  flesh,  instead  of 
putting  it  off  and  walking  according  to  the  new 
state  in  Christ.  They  trust  on  low  carnal  things 
for  holiness,  and  upon  the  acts  of  their  own  will, 
their  purposes,  resolutions,  and  endeavours,  instead 
of  Christ ; and  they  trust  to  Christ  to  help  them  in 
this  carnal  way;  whereas  true  faith  would  teach 
them  that  they  are  nothing,  and  that  they  do  but 
labour  in  vain.’  ^ 

' The  Highway  of  Holiness,  An  Abridgment  of  the  Qospd 
Mystery  of  Sanctification,  by  Rev.  W.  Marshall,  p.  68. 

O 


210 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST: 


Thirtieth  Day. 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST, 

t\ft  Surety  of  ttje  Cofaenant- 


‘Jesus  was  made  a surety  of  a better  testament,* — Heb.  vii.  22, 


F the  Old  Covenant  Scripture  speaks  as  not  being 


V7  faultless,  and  God  complains  that  Israel  had 
not  continued  in  it ; and  so  He  regarded  them  not 
(Heb.  viii.  7-9).  It  had  not  secured  its  apparent 
object,  in  uniting  Israel  and  God : Israel  had  for- 
saken Him,  and  He  had  not  regarded  Israel. 
Therefore  God  promises  to  make  a New  Covenant, 
free  from  the  faults  of  the  first,  and  effectual  to 
realize  its  purpose.  If  it  were  to  accomplish  its 
end,  it  would  need  to  secure  God’s  faithfulness  to 
His  people,  and  His  people’s  faithfulness  to  God. 
And  the  terms  of  the  New  Covenant  expressly 
declare  that  these  two  objects  shall  be  attained.  ‘I 
will  put  my  laws  into  their  mind  : ’ thus  God  pro- 
poses to  secure  their  unchanging  faithfulness  to 
Him.  ‘ Their  sins  I will  remember  no  more  ’ (see 
Heb.  viii.  10-12)  : thus  He  assures  His  unchanging 
faithfulness  to  them.  A pardoning  God  and  an 
obedient  people : these  are  the  two  parties  who  are 


AS  THE  SURETY  OE  THE  COVENANT. 


211 


to  meet  and  to  be  eternally  united  in  the  New 
Covenant. 

The  most  beautiful  provision  of  this  New  Covenant 
is  that  of  the  surety  in  whom  its  fulfilment  on  both 
parts  is  guaranteed.  Jesus  was  made  the  surety 
of  the  better  covenant.  To  man  He  became  surety 
that  God  would  faithfully  fulfil  His  part,  so  that 
man  could  confidently  depend  upon  God  to  pardon, 
and  accept,  and  never  more  forsake.  And  to  God 
He  liliewise  became  surety  that  man  would  faith- 
fully fulfil  his  part,  so  that  God  could  bestow  on 
him  the  blessing  of  the  covenant.  And  the  way  in 
which  He  fulfils  His  suretyship  is  this  : As  one  with 
God,  and  having  the  fulness  of  God  dwelling  in  His 
human  nature.  He  is  personally  security  to  men  that 
God  will  do  what  He  has  engaged.  All  that  God 
has  is  secured  to  us  in  Him  as  man.  And  then,  as 
one  with  us,  and  having  taken  us  up  as  members 
into  His  own  body.  He  is  security  to  God  that  His 
interests  shall  be  cared  for.  All  that  man  must  be 
and  do  is  secured  in  Him.  It  is  the  glory  of  the 
New  Covenant  that  it  has  in  the  person  of  the  God- 
man  its  living  surety,  its  everlasting  security. 
And  it  can  easily  be  understood  how,  in  proportion 
as  we  abide  in  Him  as  the  surety  of  the  cove- 
nant, its  objects  and  its  blessings  will  be  realized 
in  us. 

We  shall  understand  this  best  if  we  consider  it 
in  the  light  of  one  of  the  promises  of  the  New 
Covenant.  Take  that  in  Jer.  xxxii.  40  : ‘ I will 
make  an  everlasting  covenant  with  them,  that  I will 


212 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


not  turn  away  from  them,  to  do  them  good  ; hut  I 
will  put  my  fear  in  their  hearts,  that  they  shall  not 
depart  from  me! 

With  what  wonderful  condescension  the  infinite 
God  here  bows  Himself  to  our  weakness  ! He  is  the 
Faithful  and  Unchanging  One,  whose  word  is  truth; 
and  yet  more  abundantly  to  show  to  the  heirs  of 
the  promise  the  immutability  of  His  counsel,  He 
binds  Himself  in  the  covenant  that  He  will  never 
change : ‘ I will  make  an  everlasting  covenant,  that 
I will  not  turn  away  from  them/  Blessed  the 
man  who  has  thoroughly  appropriated  this,  and  finds 
his  rest  in  the  everlasting  covenant  of  the  Faithful 
One ! 

But  in  a covenant  there  are  two  parties.  And 
what  if  man  becomes  unfaithful  and  breaks  the 
covenant  ? Provision  must  be  made,  if  the  covenant 
is  to  be  well  ordered  in  all  things  and  sure,  that 
this  cannot  be,  and  that  man  too  remain  faithful. 
Man  never  can  undertake  to  give  such  an  assurance. 
And  see,  here  God  comes  to  provide  for  this  too. 
He  not  only  undertakes  in  the  covenant  that  He 
will  never  turn  from  His  people,  but  also  to  put 
His  fear  in  their  heart,  that  they  do  not  depart  from 
Him.  In  addition  to  His  own  obligations  as  one  of 
the  covenanting  parties,  He  undertakes  for  the  other 
party  too  : ' I will  cause  you  to  walk  in  my  statutes, 
and  ye  shall  keep  my  judgments  and  do  them  * 
(Kzek.  xxxvi.  7).  Blessed  the  man  who  under- 
stands this  half  of  the  covenant  too ! He  sees  that 
his  security  is  not  in  the  covenant  which  he  makes 


AS  THE  SUKETY  OF  THE  COVENANT. 


213 


with  his  God,  and  which  he  would  but  continually 
break  again.  He  finds  that  a covenant  has  been 
made,  in  which  God  stands  good,  not  only  for  Him- 
self, but  for  man  too.  He  grasps  the  blessed  truth 
that  his  part  in  the  covenant  is  to  accept  what 
God  has  promised  to  do,  and  to  expect  the  sure  fulfil- 
ment of  the  Divine  engagement  to  secure  the  faith- 
fulness of  His  people  to  their  God : ‘ I will  put 
my  fear  in  their  hearts,  that  they  shall  not  depart 
from  me! 

It  is  just  here  that  the  blessed  work  comes  in  of 
the  surety  of  the  covenant,  appointed  of  the  Father 
to  see  to  its  maintenance  and  perfect  fulfilment.  To 
Him  the  Father  hath  said,  ‘ I have  given  thee  for 
a covenant  of  the  people.’  And  the  Holy  Spirit 
testifies,  ‘ All  the  promises  of  God  in  Him  are  yea, 
and  in  Him  are  Amen,  to  the  glory  of  God  by  us.’ 
The  believer  who  abides  in  Him  hath  a Divine 
assurance  for  the  fulfilment  of  every  promise  the 
covenant  ever  gave. 

Christ  was  made  surety  of  a better  testament.  It 
is  as  our  Melchisedec  that  Christ  is  surety  (see 
Heb.  vii.).  Aaron  and  his  sons  passed  away  ; of 
Christ  it  is  witnessed  that  He  liveth.  He  is  priest 
in  the  power  of  an  endless  life.  Because  He  con- 
tinueth  ever,  He  hath  an  unchangeable  priesthood. 
And  because  He  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession.  He 
can  save  to  the  uttermost.  He  can  save  completely. 
It  is  because  Christ  is  the  Ever-living  One  that  His 
suretyship  of  the  covenant  is  so  effectual.  He  liveth 
ever  to  make  intercession,  and  can  therefore  save 


214 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST: 


completely.  Every  moment  there  rise  up  from 
His  holy  presence  to  the  Father,  the  unceasing 
pleadings  which  secure  to  His  people  the  powers 
and  the  blessings  of  the  heavenly  life.  And  every 
moment  there  go  out  from  Him  downward  to  His 
people,  the  mighty  influences  of  His  unceasing 
intercession,  conveying  to  them  uninterruptedly  the 
power  of  the  heavenly  life.  As  surety  with  us  for 
the  Fatlier  s favour.  He  never  ceases  to  pray  and 
present  us  before  Him  ; as  surety  with  the  Father 
for  us.  He  never  ceases  to  work,  and  reveal  the 
Father  within  us. 

The  mystery  of  the  Melchisedec  priesthood,  which 
the  Hebrews  were  not  able  to  receive  (Heb.v.  10-14), 
is  the  mystery  of  the  resurrection  life.  It  is  in  this 
that  the  glory  of  Christ  as  surety  of  the  covenant 
consists : He  ever  liveth.  He  performs  His  work 
in  heaven  in  the  power  of  a Divine,  an  omnipotent 
life.  He  ever  liveth  to  pray  ; not  a moment  that  as 
surety  His  prayers  do  not  rise  Godward  to  secure 
the  Father’s  fulfilment  to  us  of  the  covenant.  He 
performs  His  work  on  earth  in  the  power  of  that 
same  life  ; not  a moment  that  His  answered  prayers 
— the  powers  of  the  heavenly  world — do  not  flow 
downward  to  secure  for  His  Father  our  fulfilment  of 
the  covenant.  In  the  eternal  life  there  are  no  breaks, 
— never  a moment’s  interruption  ; each  moment  has 
tlie  power  of  eternity  in  it.  He  ever,  every  moment, 
liveth  to  pray.  lie  ever,  every  moment,  liveth  to 
bless.  He  can  save  to  the  uttermost,  completely 
and  perfectly,  because  He  ever  liveth  to  pray. 


AS  THE  SURETY  OF  THE  COVENANT, 


215 


Believer ! come  and  see  here  how  the  possibility 
of  abiding  in  Jesus  every  moment  is  secured  by  the 
very  nature  of  this  ever-living  priesthood  of  thy 
surety.  Moment  by  moment,  as  His  intercession 
rises  up,  its  efficacy  descends.  And  because  Jesus 
stands  good  for  the  fulfilment  of  the  covenant, — ‘ I 
will  put  my  fear  in  their  heart,  and  they  shall  not 
depart  from  me,’ — He  cannot  afford  to  leave  thee 
one  single  moment  to  thyself.  He  dare  not  do  so, 
or  He  fails  of  His  undertaking.  Thy  unbelief  may 
fail  of  realizing  the  blessing ; He  cannot  be  unfaith- 
ful. If  thou  wilt  but  consider  Him,  and  the  power 
of  that  endless  life  after  which  He  was  made  and 
is  a High  Priest,  thy  faith  will  rise  to  believe  that 
an  endless,  ever-continuing,  unchangeable  life  of 
abiding  in  Jesus,  is  nothing  less  than  what  is  wait- 
ing thee. 

It  is  as  we  see  what  Jesus  is,  and  is  to  us,  that 
the  abiding  in  Him  will  become  the  natural  and 
spontaneous  result  of  our  knowledge  of  Him.  If 
His  life  unceasingly,  moment  by  moment,  rises  to 
the  Father  for  us,  and  descends  to  us  from  the 
Father,  then  to  abide  moment  by  moment  is  easy 
and  simple.  Each  moment  of  conscious  intercourse 
with  Him  we  simply  say,  ‘ Jesus,  surety,  keeper, 
ever-living  Saviour,  in  whose  life  I dwell,  I abide  in 
Thee.’  Each  moment  of  need,  or  darkness,  or  fear, 
we  still  say,  ‘ 0 thou  great  High  Priest,  in  the  power 
of  an  endless,  unchangeable  life,  I abide  in  Thee.’ 
And  for  the  moments  when  direct  and  distinct  com- 
munion with  Him  must  give  place  to  needful 


216 


ABIDE  IN  CHKIST  : 


occupations,  we  can  trust  His  suretyship,  His  un- 
ceasing priesthood,  in  its  Divine  efficacy,  and  the 
|X)wer  with  wliich  He  saves  to  the  uttermost,  still 
to  keep  us  abiding  in  Him. 


THE  GLORIFIED  ONE. 


217 


T hirty-First  Day, 

ABIDE  IF  CHEIST, 

Eije  ©lortfteB  0ne. 

‘ Your  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God.  When  Christ,  who  is  our 
life,  shall  appear,  then  shall  ye  also  appear  with  Him  in  glory.’ — 
Col.  iii.  3,  4. 

He  that  abides  in  Christ  the  Crucified  One, 
learns  to  know  what  it  is  to  be  crucified 
with  Him,  and  in  Him  to  be  indeed  dead  unto 
sin.  He  that  abides  in  Christ  the  Eisen  and 
Glorified  One,  becomes  in  the  same  way  partaker  of 
His  resurrection  life,  and  of  the  glory  with  which 
He  has  now  been  crowned  in  heaven.  Unspeak- 
able are  the  blessings  which  flow  to  the  soul  from 
the  union  with  Jesus  in  His  glorified  life. 

This  life  is  a life  of  perfect  victory  and  rest. 
Before  His  death,  the  Son  of  God  had  to  suffer  and 
to  struggle,  could  be  tempted  and  troubled  by  sin 
and  its  assaults  : as  the  Eisen  One,  He  has  triumphed 
over  sin ; and,  as  the  Glorified  One,  His  humanity 
has  entered  into  participation  of  the  glory  of  Deity. 
The  believer  who  abides  in  Him  as  such,  is  led  to 
see  how  the  power  of  sin  and  the  flesh  are  indeed 
destroyed : the  consciousness  of  complete  and  ever- 


218 


ABIDE  IN  Cl  I BIST  : 


lasting  deliverance  becomes  increasingly  clear,  and 
the  blessed  rest  and  peace,  the  fruit  of  such  a convic- 
tion that  victory  and  deliverance  are  an  accomplished 
fact,  take  possession  of  the  life.  Abiding  in  Jesus, 
in  whom  he  has  been  raised  and  set  in  the  heavenly 
places,  he  receives  of  that  glorious  life  streaming 
from  the  head  through  every  member  of  the  body. 

This  life  is  a life  in  the  full  fellowship  of  the 
Fathers  love  and  holiness,  Jesus  often  gave  pro- 
minence to  this  thought  with  His  disciples.  His 
death  was  a going  to  the  Father.  He  prayed : 
‘ Glorify  me,  0 Father,  with  Thyself  with  the  glory 
which  I had  with  Thee!  As  the  believer,  abiding 
in  Christ  the  Glorified  One,  seeks  to  realize  and 
experience  what  His  union  with  Jesus  on  the 
throne  implies,  he  apprehends  how  the  unclouded 
light  of  the  Father  s presence  is  His  highest  glory 
and  blessedness,  and  in  Him  the  believer’s  portion 
too.  He  learns  the  sacred  art  of  always,  in  fellow- 
ship with  His  exalted  Head,  dwelling  in  the  secret 
of  the  Father’s  presence.  Farther,  when  Jesus  was 
on  earth,  temptation  could  still  reach  Him : in 
glory,  everything  is  holy,  and  in  perfect  harmony 
with  the  will  of  God.  And  so  the  believer  who 
abides  in  Him  experiences  that  in  this  high  fellow- 
ship his  spirit  is  sanctified  into  growing  harmony 
with  the  Father’s  will.  The  heavenly  life  of  Jesus 
is  the  power  that  casts  out  sin. 

This  life  is  a life  of  loving  heneficence  and  activity. 
Seated  on  His  throne.  He  dispenses  His  gifts, 
bestows  His  Spirit,  and  never  ceases  in  love  to 


THE  GLOKIFIED  ONE. 


219 


watch  and  to  work  for  those  who  are  His.  The 
believer  cannot  abide  in  Jesus  the  Glorified  One, 
without  feeling  himself  stirred  and  strengthened  to 
work : the  Spirit  and  the  love  of  Jesus  breathe  the 
will  and  the  power  to  be  a blessing  to  others. 
Jesus  went  to  heaven  with  the  very  object  of 
obtaining  power  there  to  bless  abundantly.  He 
does  this  as  the  heavenly  Vine  only  through  the 
medium  of  His  people  as  His  branches.  Whoever, 
therefore,  abides  in  Him,  the  Glorified  One,  bears 
much  fruit,  for  he  receives  of  the  Spirit  and  the 
power  of  the  eternal  life  of  his  exalted  Lord,  and 
becomes  the  channel  through  which  the  fulness 
of  Jesus,  who  hath  been  exalted  to  be  a Prince 
and  a Saviour,  flows  out  to  bless  those  around 
him. 

There  is  one  more  thought  in  regard  to  this  life 
of  the  Glorified  One,  and  ours  in  Him.  It  is  a life 
of  wondrous  expectation  and  hope.  It  is  so  with 
Christ.  He  sits  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  expecting 
till  all  His  enemies  be  made  His  footstool,  looking 
forward  to  the  time  when  He  shall  receive  His  full 
reward,  when  His  glory  shall  be  made  manifest, 
and  His  beloved  people  be  ever  with  Him  in  that 
glory.  The  hope  of  Christ  is  the  hope  of  His 
redeemed : ‘ I will  come  again  and  take  you  to 
myself,  that  where  I am  there  ye  may  be  also.’ 
This  promise  is  as  precious  to  Christ  as  it  ever 
can  be  to  us.  The  joy  of  meeting  is  surely  no  less 
for  the  coming  Bridegroom  than  for  the  waiting 
bride.  The  life  of  Christ  in  glory  is  one  of  longing 


220 


ABIDE  IN  CHRIST  : 


expectation : the  full  glory  only  comes  when  His 
beloved  are  with  Him. 

The  believer  who  abides  closely  in  Christ  will 
share  with  Him  in  this  spirit  of  expectation.  Not 
so  much  for  tlie  increase  of  personal  liappiness,  but 
from  the  spirit  of  enthusiastic  allegiance  to  his 
King,  he  longs  to  see  Him  come  in  His  glory, 
reigning  over  every  enemy,  the  full  revelation  of 
God’s  everlasting  love.  ‘ Till  He  come,’  is  the 
watchword  of  every  true-hearted  believer.  ‘ Christ 
shall  appear,  and  we  shall  appear  with  Him  in 
glory.’ 

There  may  be  very  serious  differences  in  the 
exposition  of  the  promises  of  His  coming.  To  one 
it  is  plain  as  day  that  He  is  coming  very  speedily 
in  person  to  reign  on  earth,  and  that  speedy  coming 
is  his  hope  and  his  stay.  To  another,  loving  his 
Bible  and  his  Saviour  not  less,  the  coming  can 
mean  nothing  but  the  judgment  day, — the  solemn 
transition  from  time  to  eternity,  the  close  of  his- 
tory on  earth,  the  beginning  of  heaven ; and  the 
thought  of  that  manifestation  of  his  Saviour’s  glory 
is  no  less  his  joy  and  his  strength.  It  is  Jesus, 
Jesus  coming  again,  Jesus  taking  us  to  Himself, 
Jesus  adored  as  Lord  of  all,  that  is  to  the  whole 
Church  the  sum  and  the  centre  of  its  hope. 

It  is  by  abiding  in  Christ  the  Glorified  One  that 
the  believer  will  be  quickened  to  that  truly  spiritual 
looking  for  His  coming,  which  alone  brings  true 
blessing  to  the  soul.  There  is  an  interest  in  the 
study  of  the  things  which  are  to  be,  in  which  the 


^ THE  GLOKIFIED  ONE, 


221 


jdiscipleship  of  a school  is  often  more  marked  than 
the  discipleship  of  Christ  the  meek ; in  which  con- 
[ tendings  for  opinions  and  condemnation  of  brethren 
are  more  striking  than  any  signs  of  the  coming 
glory.  It  is  only  the  humility  that  is  willing  to 
learn  from  those  who  may  have  other  gifts  and 
deeper  revelations  of  the  truth  than  we,  and  the 
jlove  that  always  speaks  gently  and  tenderly  of 
jhose  who  see  not  as  we  do,  and  the  heavenliness 
jbhat  shows  that  the  Coming  One  is  indeed  already 
aur  life,  that  will  persuade  either  the  Church  or 
the  world  that  this  our  faith  is  not  in  the  wisdom 
af  men,  but  in  the  power  of  God.  To  testify  of  the 
saviour  as  the  Coming  One,  we  must  he  abiding  in 
ind  bearing  the  image  of  Him  as  the  Glorified  One. 
,^ot  the  correctness  of  the  views  we  hold,  nor  the 
piarnestness  with  which  we  advocate  them,  will 
prepare  us  for  meeting  Him,  but  only  the  abiding 
n Him.  Then  only  can  our  being  manifested  in 
.;lory  with  Him  be  what  it  is  meant  to  be, — a 
ransfiguration,  a breaking  out  and  shining  forth  of 
he  indwelling  glory  that  had  been  waiting  for  the 
lay  of  revelation. 

Blessed  life  ! ‘ the  life  hid  with  Christ  in  God,’ 
set  in  the  heavenlies  in  Christ,’  abiding  in  Christ 
he  glorified ! Once  again  the  question  comes : 
/an  a feeble  child  of  dust  really  dwell  in  fellowship 
pith  the  King  of  glory  ? And  again  the  blessed 
nswer  has  to  be  given:  To  maintain  that  union  is 
ihe  very  work  for  which  Christ  has  all  power  in 
eaven  and  earth  at  His  disposal.  The  blessing 


222 


ABIDE  IN  CUBIST  : 


will  be  given  to  him  who  will  trust  his  Lord  for  it, 
who  in  faitli  and  confident  expectation  ceases  not 
to  yield  liimself  to  be  wholly  one  with  Him.  It 
was  an  act  of  wondrous  tliougli  simple  faith,  in 
which  the  soul  yielded  itself  at  first  to  the  Saviour. 
That  faith  grows  up  to  clearer  insight  and  faster 
hold  of  God's  truth  that  we  are  one  with  Him 
in  His  glory.  In  that  same  wondrous  faith, 
wondrously  simple,  but  wondrously  mighty,  the 
soul  learns  to  abandon  itself  entirely  to  the  keeping 
of  Christ's  almighty  power,  and  the  actings  of  His 
Eternal  Life.  Because  it  knows  that  it  has  the 
Spirit  of  God  dwelling  within  to  communicate  all 
that  Christ  is,  it  no  longer  looks  upon  it  as  a 
burden  or  a work,  but  allows  the  Divine  life  to 
have  its  way,  to  do  its  work ; its  faith  is  the  in- 
creasing abandonment  of  self,  the  expectation  and 
acceptance  of  all  that  the  love  and  the  power  of 
the  Glorified  One  can  perform.  In  that  faith  un- 
broken fellowship  is  maintained,  and  growing  con- 
formity realized.  As  with  Moses,  the  fellowship 
makes  partakers  of  the  glory,  and  the  life  begins  to 
shine  with  a brightness  not  of  this  world. 

Blessed  life ! it  is  ours,  for  J esus  is  ours. 
Blessed  life  ! we  have  the  possession  within  us  in 
its  hidden  power,  and  we  have  the  prospect  before 
us  in  its  fullest  glory.  May  our  daily  lives  be  the 
bright  and  blessed  proof  that  the  hidden  power 
dwells  within,  preparing  us  for  the  glory  to  be 
revealed.  May  our  abiding  in  Christ  the  Glorified 
One  be  our  power  to  live  to  the  glory  of  the 


THE  GLOEIFIED  ONE. 


223 


Father,  our  fitness  to  share  in  the  glory  of  the 
Son. 

AND  NOW, 

LITTLE  CHILDREN, 

ABIDE  IN  HIM, 

THAT,  WHEN  HE  SHALL  APPEAR,  WE  MAY  HAVE 
CONFIDENCE,  AND  NOT  BE  ASHAMED 
BEFORE  HIM  AT  HIS  COMING. 


THE  END. 


